Spirit Children
by Azurknight
Summary: Shido Itsuka was enjoying a peacful day with people he cared about, but after the appearance a masked young man and his followers; he's been sent to alternate timelines and must make allies with some curious people.
1. Chapter 1

Ch.1 Shining Prince

DEM headquarters Westcott was in a good mood in his office with Ellen at his side had just recently gotten fully recovered from her fight with inverse Tohka, and they were discussing what to do next. Then someone entered his office, a young man with navy blue messy hair, wearing a black eye mask, a black suit, and black gloves with matching boots. He was followed by three followers cloaked by the shadows. Ellen took note that he was an unfamiliar person and said in a calm manner.

"I don't recall ever allowing anyone to visit the director today"

The young man looked at Ellen, but his expression was hard to tell because of his mask and he muttered something under his breath and his followers began walking towards Isaacs's desk. Back in Tengu city Shido Itsuka and his sister Kotori were walking home with Tohka Yatogami, and getting ready to have dinner since Shido had promised to make their favorites today. As they walk a figure hiding in a nearby ally of the young man watches as they walk and talks with someone over a communicator in their ear.

"Targets in sight, your orders Shinra?"

Over their communicator, someone gives them orders.

"Do it"

Shido was talking with Tohka about going to a bakery to pick up her favorite bread on the way home to have their dinner.

"Shido how much bread can we get?"

Shido smiled at Tohka.

"As much as you'd like since you've been patient this last week"

Tohka lets out an excited yell as Kotori smiles because her beloved brother is having a good time, and because he promised to cook her favorites. Also, Origami was keeping an eye on them as per ususal, and she noticed the figure spying on them as well. As she approaches, the figure pulls out an object that resembled a black crystal and tosses it at Shido and the girls. The crystal hits Shido in the head, but her barely felt it as he caught it in his hand confusing him.

"Hmm, what is this?"

Tohka and Kotori come over to inspect his sudden stop in movement and take note of the crystal with Tohka thinking it's candy.

"Oh is this some sort of hard candy?"

Tohka starts drooling as Kotori immediately notices that it is a crystal but not what type it is.

"Huh, a crystal?"

Before Kotori can finish her thought on the matter the crystal starts to glow, breaks, and releases black smoke which engulfs the three of them. Origami notices this while keeping tabs on the mysterious figure and runs to help Shido but is also engulfed by the smoke without the others noticing since Shido only called out for Kotori and Tohka.

"Kotori…Tohka.."

They shout for each other until blackness completely consumes his vision, and just as quickly as it had begun Shido opened his eyes and suddenly it was bright and sunny again. Shido looks around for the girls.

"Kotori!...Tohka!..where are they?"

Shido looks up worried since he had no idea where the girls were, or even where he was. But he clearly in the same city only different somehow, and he walks around for a minute until someone runs into him and knocks him down. After being dazed a hand reaches for him.

"Hey you okay buddy?"

Shido looked up and saw a boy around his age and same height with light skin wearing the Raizen uniform, and Shido takes his hand.

"Yeah thanks"

The boy had purple hair style, he even had identical hair to Shido's, and his eyes were blue.

"Sorry about that I was on my way home and I got a little excited"

"No that's okay…um have you seen a couple of girls around here?"

"No, are you going on a date or something?"

"No, I'm just a little lost I guess"

"Really then I'll help I know this place pretty well"

"Thanks, I appreciate that…oh, my name is Shido…what about you?"

"Shido? Huh, that's my dad's name…my name is Akihiko, Akihiko Itsuka"

The boy Akihiko extends his arm to shake Shido's hand.

"Huh my name is Itsuka too"

"Really then you should meet my dad he'd love to hear that"

"Hehe I'll take your word on it"

The two boys walk around for a half hour till it started to get dark.

"Well thanks for the help Akihiko but maybe the girls went home, so maybe I should check there"

"Okay, my mom might get mad at me for being late but oh well"

The boys walk in the same direction for a while until they reach the apartment complex and take notice of it.

"Oh, you live here too Shido?"

"Yeah for a long time, and you?"

"Since I was born, I live here with my parents and my younger sister Aiko"

"Really?"

The two make their way to the same door and that's when they become really suspicious. Shido is the first to say anything.

"Uh maybe you got the wrong door this is my apartment"

Akihiko was feeling suspicious as well.

"No, I live here"

Akihiko opens the door which is unlocked, and once inside he announces he's home.

"Hey, mom I'm home!"

From another room, a woman's voice echoes through the apartment.

"Aki where have you been? I've been worried"

The woman enters the hallway and much to Shido's shock the woman looked exactly like Tohka only older, wearing a typical housewife outfit with an apron that had bread on it, and she didn't seem to recognize Shido at all.

"Oh mom this is new buddy of mine, funny thing his name is Shido"

"Really that's nice …hi my name is Tohka Itsuka…"

The woman hugs Akihiko and rubs her face against his.

"And I'm this young man's mother"

Akihiko puts on an embarrassed look on his face.

"Mom I'm sixteen"

"So what, I love you just the same as the day you were born"

Despite having an embarrassed look, Akihiko puts on a genuine smile.

"Haha I love you too mom"

Shido decides not to ask too many questions, and looks around. As he looks he notices that it was indeed the same apartment but with different furniture, and for some reason a new room was built into it.

"How on earth did they get permission to do that?"

But what really caught his eye, nailed to the wall, was Sandalphon, and below it was a photo with a date that was dated four years from now. In the photo, Shido himself was in it, and he was with Tohka cutting a wedding cake. As he looks at the photo, the older Tohka approaches from behind with a blush.

"This was the day I married my husband….that was one of the happiest days of my life"

Shido thinks to himself how beautiful Tohka looked in the dress, and then notices another photo dated a little later of Tohka holding a newborn baby.

"(This must have been when Akihiko was born)"

The older Tohka asks Akihiko to do a favor that involved him leaving the apartment.

"Akihiko could run to the mini store and buy an extra carton of milk for mom?"

Akihiko smiles and nods.

"Sure mom…Shido I'll be back in a sec, so just stay here and talk with my mom or something"

Akihiko leaves the apartment but pops his head back through the door with a flustered look.

"And no baby pictures mom!"

After he leaves for sure Tohka looks at Shido with a now serious look.

"So who are exactly?"

Shido looks at her with confusion.

"Well I'm just a student"

"No I mean why do you look my husband when he was younger?"

"You noticed?"

"I'm not stupid; I just didn't want to upset my son"

"Okay I'll tell what I remember, but you may not believe me"

Shido tells the older Tohka what happened with the black cloud and his sudden appearance in this strange world, and much to his surprise Tohka seems to trust him.

"I see, I guess it's not too unbelievable considering everything we've seen, but I have some things I want to ask you"

"Sure anything"

After asking a few questions about her younger years that Shido knew about the older Tohka can't help but smile warmly

"It really is you"

She hugged Shido and then they talked for a while, and after talking he realizes that he is, in fact, the future, but some things were different from the time he remembers.

"So me and you are married in this time?"

"Yeah for about twenty years now"

"...Am I a good husband to you?"

"Of course you are, sure we've argued but we never say anything we don't mean"

"That's good…"

The two continue their talk while elsewhere Akihiko is buying the milk his mom told him to get, and as he walks back home he is approached by a figure wearing a jet black suit, a black cap, navy boots and fingerless gloves. They only thing he could tell is that the person was female and that she was not friendly.

"Who are you?"

The girl snickered with a smug smile underneath her cap as she pulls out a small hand ax in one hand, and a long sword in the other. Akihiko backs u a little as gets a glance of a single azure eye underneath the cap. Akihiko's eyes widen at the sight as he begins running away, but then suddenly he smashes against something and falls to the ground.

"What the?!"

He stands up and feels an invisible wall in front of his body, and he begins to panic as the girl walks up behind him.

"Hmm too easy"

She slashes him once across the chest with her ax and prepares to slash again with her sword to finish it quickly by slicing him across the chest.

"(Someone help me!)"

As the girl was in her slashing motion time seemed to slow down, Akihiko could hear his own heartbeat, and a voice echoed in his head.

"(I'm here don't worry)"

He raises his arms and a sword appears like a glint of light in his hands. The girl looks surprised as she recognizes the blade, and Akihiko opens his eyes to see what had happened; he was holding the sword from his home, Tohka's Sandalphon or at least a smaller sword resembling it that had jagged edges.

"Mom's sword?"

Not wanting to question what had happened Akihiko assumes a two-handed stance with the sword and prepares to fight back, but as he prepares to fight the sword disappears from his hands

"No, way!"

The girl reassumes her assault on Akihiko without saying anything. At the apartment, Shido talks with the adult Tohka and was having a nice time learning about she had been doing all this time later.

"You know Tohka I'm amazed how much you've matured at this age"

"Well when you become a parent you have to set an example for your children"

"Well, Akihiko looks like a fine young man…by the way where's the older me and Aiko?"

"Oh my husband's on a business trip to America for the next week, and Aiko is spending the night at a friend's place"

Shido put on a slight disappointed look.

"Oh I was kind of hoping to meet my daughter"

"I promise she's a very good girl"

"I believe it coming from you…Akihiko's sure taking a long time though"

Since it's been so long Shido decides to go look for Akihiko. He looks for a little while, and when he finally finds him he was beaten up badly and covered in slash wounds.

"Akihiko!"

Shido runs over to check on him, he was breathing fine and his heartbeat was steady.

"Are you okay? Talk to me!"

Akihiko struggles to say anything.

"…..I'm okay man don't worry"

Upon checking on him, the mysterious girl waits in an alley and throws a crystal at the two which breaks on the ground; upon breaking it releases a dark cloud, and just like before Shido is engulfed by it. Only this time he was holding on to Akihiko through the ordeal since wherever they ended up he needed a doctor. When his vision returned again he was in a very familiar place, the Fraxinus. Also fortunate that a familiar face was before him Reine, and he couldn't tell if she was older or not due her tired appearance.

"Reine I'm so glad it's you, he needs help right now!"

She looks at him with her usual expression and reaches for a communicator.

"Akane you should look at this"

Without any other words, Shido begins hearing doors open, and upon the final door opening he sees a girl wearing Kotori's commander outfit but with the jacket completely on. She looked about sixteen, and even had Kotori's hair color, but her hair was shorter and straight and tied with a single black ribbon in a very short ponytail, her eyes were amber-brown; she looked at Shido with contempt.

"Reine what the hell is this crap!?"

Shido looked at the girl with fear.

"Come on my friend needs a doctor"

The girls look changes to sympathy.

"Reine, get this guy to the sickbay, and keep an eye on our doppelganger"

"Doppelganger?"

Shido is slapped with handcuffs by a guard, but he was grateful to the girl for helping Akihiko.

"Thank you miss uh…"

The girl looks at him again.

"My name is Akane Itsuka, and I'm the commander of this ship"

Another Itsuka, but this one looked like Kotori, and now Shido had more questions. He was alone for the moment, had no idea where Tohka and Kotori where, met his own son, and now a girl looking like Kotori was before him treating him like a criminal.


	2. Chapter 2

Ch.2 Flame Empress

Five hours have passed since Shido was taken as prisoner on the ship. He was kept in a glass cage with holes for breathing and a small slot for food. Reine was keeping an eye on him, but Shido was trying to convince her that he wasn't a fake. He tried to explain to her what had was happening, and of course she didn't believe at first.

"Impossible the real Shin is currently on a second honeymoon with his wife"

Shido felt compelled to ask Reine the question that was looming on his mind for the last five hours.

"Uh, Reine could at least tell me who his wife is?"

Reine's expression didn't change as she answered with a straight face.

"Kotori is his wife"

Shido's face went redder than he intended.

"Me and Kotori!?...but she's my sister!"

"Well Shin and Kotori aren't related by blood, so I see no problem"

"Okay I'll give you that"

Reine was constantly looking at a laptop for messages from the sickbay since she ordered to keep finding private from Shido since they still believe him to be a fake. After a while of thinking Shido notices Reine putting a surprised expression; she then closes her laptop and exits the room and head towards the sickbay. In the sickbay, Akihiko still laid unconscious from his battle with the mysterious girl, but when Reine entered the room she immediately saw Akane yelling at the physician in charge.

"Do the test again! That can't be right"

"But Commander I already did the test three times"

"I don't believe it!"

The temperamental red haired girl was shaking the physician by the collar as she was yelling at him, but is stopped by Reine who wants to exactly find out the meaning behind the message.

"So what's this about an unusual find?"

Akane drops the physician and calms down to explain to Reine what she's angry about.

"Well we decided to do a DNA test to find out who this guy is, but according to the test this guy and I are half siblings"

Reine looked confused until she reads the test which basically read that Akihiko shared one half of Akane's DNA , and then they tested with others in the system which also said that he shared Shido's DNA but not Kotori's, and what truly was pissing Akane off was the note that said the other half was matched to Tohka's.

"Dad would never cheat on mom!"

Reine starts believing something more is happening, but fails to notice Akane storming out of the room. Akane storms down to the area where Shido is locked but is met halfway by a woman asking her to calm down.

"Mind your own damn business Origami"

The woman was Origami only in her thirties dressed in an upgraded AST uniform, and had longer hair.

"Keeping you in line is my business Akane"

"I'm sixteen I don't need a babysitter anymore!"

"No but you do need an instructor"

"Whatever"

After being lectured by Origami, Akane finally manages to make it back to Shido's cell to demand answers from him. Shido was just sitting with his hands still cuffed, and then Akane begins chewing him out.

"Okay who's your friend and why does he share half my DNA?"

Shido stands up, and tries to explain what exactly he knows and what's happened so far. After a half an hour if explaining Akane thinks for a minute, and she calms down.

"Okay that would explain a couple things, but I still don't entirely believe you, so I'll give you a test if you can pass it you'll prove to me that you're at least telling the truth"

"Fine what is it?"

Akane unlocks the cell and brings Shido to her sleeping quarters which also had a small kitchen inside it.

"This is my private room, so for your test you're going to make me something"

"How is that a test?"

"If you're really a younger version of my dad then you'll be able cook similar stuff"

Akane give Shido a mischievous smile as he decides what to cook. Meanwhile back in the present time four days had passed since Shido, Kotori, Tohka, and Origami had disappeared; Mana had become worried and began searching around the city along with Yoshino who was also very worried. Since it had been a while since they searched the apartment for clues so they decided to go back there and find anything. Upon arriving at the apartment nothing was changed, and Yoshino was starting to cry out of concern.

"What if they got kidnapped?"

Yoshinon tries to cheer her up.

"No that's not possible Shido isn't dumb enough to get kidnapped"

Mana chuckles a little to lighten the mood.

"Yeah you got a point rabbit my brother smarter than that (besides I've got a bad feeling about this)"

As they continue their search Mana opens the door to her brother's bedroom and someone was inside looking through his stuff, the young man with the mask. Mana immediately questioned him and he turned around to face her, but what was surprising was his expression towards her which was a look of shock.

"Mana is that you?"

Mana didn't recognize him but he seemed to know her.

"Who are you exactly?"

"Of course you wouldn't recognize me"

Mana was about to equip her realizer, but the young man extends his arm and immediately dark energy shoots from his hand paralyzing her. He then raises his other arm and entraps her inside a sphere which fills with negative energy and as it happens the young man silently says something.

"I'm sorry"

Mana read his lips as she fades away into the dark; Yoshino sees this and becomes paralyzed with fear. The young man smiled warmly and even with his mask one could see he was happy in a joyful way.

"Yoshino and Yoshinon…"

The young man approaches Yoshino and much to her surprise he pats her on the head.

"I never thought I'd you again"

Yoshino looked up at the young man and while she wasn't sure he appeared to be crying, but that's when things got creepy because he started patting her harder and harder which started to hurt.

"And that's why….I…I"

He realizes what he's doing and immediately stops, and then he then backs up into the shadows of the room and disappears. Despite what he was doing Yoshino felt sad for him, but Yoshinon wasn't so sympathetic.

"That guy was creepy! Call the police! Call the army, and where's Mana!?"

Yoshino looked around to find Mana, but she completely disappeared. In the other time Shido had just finished preparing the dish he settled which was hamburger steak.

"Well here ya go, hope you like it"

Akane takes a long whiff of the aroma and so far she seems pleased.

"Smells good but…"

She takes her fork and takes a bite of the steak. After swallowing her bite Akane pauses for a second, drops her fork, and puts on the look of a happy little girl.

"Just like my daddy"

"Uh so you like it huh?"

Akane looks at him sitting down now showing a white ribbon tied around her collar.

"It isn't the same but no one makes this like my daddy"

"So now do you believe?"

"Yeah more or less"

Akane welcomes the younger version of her dad by letting him look around her room which was filled with family pictures, a couple of report cards, and even a plushie of Kotori when which Shido looked at Akane with a little disbelief.

"Uh I took that from Kannazuki"

"Okay"

"Shut up my mom was cool even then"

After looking through some pictures someone knocks on the door. The person who opens the door was Origami who Shido recognizes right away.

"Origami!"

Origami nearly attacks when Akane assures her that Shido is by no means a threat; in fact she takes a shine to the younger Shido and even sits next him.

"(Even at this age she still acts like this)"

Akane then explains to Shido that Origami is her bodyguard and combat teacher. She then shifts the mood back to serious.

"So has your friends in the sickbay awakened yet?"

Shido became confused at the question.

"Uh awakened?"

""Sigh" well this is going to be fun; what I mean is…."

Before Akane could explain anything an alarm sounds off indicating an intruder. Akane apologizes but realizes something.

"Better yet I can show you; Origami protect him"

"Okay but be careful"

Shido keeps calm because if what she's talking about could help him in any way he should find out about it. Akane makes it to the deck where a camera has found an intruder wearing an outfit similar to one worn by Akihiko's attacker only this girl didn't have any weapons.

"Commander your orders?"

Akane looks around the room.

"Where's Kannazuki?"

"Uh commander you had him punished yesterday remember he's still digging the hole"

"Oh yeah….anyway Reine will take care of the deck and I'll handle the intruder"

"Yes Ma'am!"

Akane reaches under her station and pulls out a katana without a hilt guard. She then makes her way to the room where the intruder was. She was inside a new training room they built onto the ship for Akane's training which was large and dome-like. In the sickbay Akihiko finally wakes up with room now empty, and he also very confused.

"Where am I….Mom! Mom!"

He thought that maybe Tohka was somewhere nearby, but when no one answered he got out of bed and grabbed his clothes which were still covered with slash marks. He then wanders around the ship trying to find out where he was. But he was also having moments of pain from headaches with a voice echoing through his head, a comforting one which sounded like a mother talking to her child. Back in training area Akane confronts the intruder who's face couldn't be seen under her cap.

"So who are you and why are you on my ship?"

"I see no reason to explain myself, but I will demand that you hand over the young man on this ship"

Akane pulls out her sword and assumes a stance.

"I don't think so"

"So be it"

The intruder assumes a stance herself intending to fight barehanded. Akane attacks by slashing her sword on the ground sending a small red shockwave at the intruder, but she deflects using a kick and follows by immediately charging at Akane then uses fast punch followed by slower one that sends a small surge of energy at Akane which hits her in the chest and sends her flying towards the wall. She picks herself up immediately and leaps into the air.

"Eat this Rising Phoenix!"

She then shoots down at the intruder creating a streak of fire following her and even the sound of a large birds crying could be heard. The intruder is knocked down covered in burn marks, but she gets up shortly after and stands normally while holding up her finger to her face and starts muttering something. Akane decides not to take any chances and rushes towards her, but then the intruder yells out something.

"ABSOLUTE!"

As soon as that word is shouted a small glacier of ice appears below Akane's feet and engulfs her in a glacier of ice which is then shattered by another block of ice from above causing her to fall numb on the ground. Shido saw all this through a TV in the room he was in and tries to run to help but Origami stops him.

"What are you doing she needs help!"

"No you'll need help if you go now"

"Are you insane? she needs help!"

"It's not necessary"

Shido looks back at the TV and notices Akane's body glowing red.

"This is what she meant by Awakening"

Akane picks herself up, her body emitting heat like a blazing inferno.

"You know, you really picked the wrong ship to mess with because now…"

Akane's body becomes completely engulfed by a red blaze that turns blue as she stands up her body obscured from view, and soon as she's visible she was now wearing an altered version of Kotori's astral dress covered with a couple of small holes, no head accessories, and the out had light blue where the red was, but the biggest difference she didn't have a version of Camael with her.

"You have to face me Akane Itsuka the flame empress!"

Her body was surrounded by blue flames as she spoke. In the room Shido looks with awe at Akane's new form.

"This is Akane's awakened form we call Ifrit"

"But she said flame empress"

"She thinks it sounds cooler but we registered it as Ifrit without telling her"

Akane grabs her sword again and points it at the intruder who starts mumbling something again.

"Oh no you're doing that again!"

Akane gathers a small portion of her flames in the palm of her free hand creating a fireball that she shoots at the intruder with extreme speed hitting her in the chest. The intruder tries to use her fist and feet to attack again but can't approach Akane's body without getting burned. Origami then explains to Shido what she knows about what he's seeing.

"She lacks an angel but the flames protect her as if her parents were protecting her with their own arms….a spirit child"

"Spirit child?"

"She may be the only to exist right now but we call Akane a spirit child someone who was born to spirit; as far as we know spirit children can channel power gifted to them from their spirit power in this case Akane has inherited her mother's powers of fire with noticeable differences"

"(So that's why she asked if Akihiko's awakened yet)"

"But as far as I know the spirit child's power will initially awaken when they endure extreme stress; Akane awakened about five months ago when I was training her and she got mad"

Shortly after Shido returns his view on the fight Akihiko stumbles his way into the training room and falls to ground holding his head. After a moment the intruder takes notice of this and picks him up with her arm around his throat.

"Surrender the young man or I'll snap this one's neck!"

Akane grits her teeth.

"Coward!"

The intruder nearly has her way until Akihiko's body begins glowing as more voices echo through his head but this time memories of his mother in her spirit form flash through his head, and his eyes begin to glow purple. Mana rapidly flows through his body and the sword he wielded against the mysterious girl back in his time appeared sticking out of the ground. As reaches to pull it out a outfit appears over his damaged clothes, a dark purple suit of armor covering his body from head to toe and a cape that was made of the same material as the lighter part of Tohka's astral dress, and instead of a bow he had a long purple sash around his waist. His first action is let out a burst of mana launching the intruder away and into the wall knocking a bag out of her pocket. She picks herself up after wiping some blood from her lip.

"No way I'll beat two at once forget it"

The intruder reaches into the opposite pocket and takes out a crystal and breaks it in her hand realizing a black cloud and disappearing. Upon finally realizing what had happened Akihiko notices his new armor and his sword.

"Whoa this is…this is.."

Akane smiles at him and walks towards him.

"Wow so this is power of Tohka's child well I can't say that I'm truly impressed but…."

Akane pauses as if something ringed in her head. In the room Origami notices something that greatly concerns, Akane's blue flames were beginning to turn red.

"Oh no!"

Shido quickly reacts to her fear.

"What! Is something wrong!?"

Then he sees it Akane's eyes glowing red just like when Kotori went berserk during the fight with Kurumi on the school's roof, so he decides to run over to the training room to help. Back in the room Akane becomes gives Akihiko a sadistic look.

"So another spirit child has his power now..tell me how does it feel?"

Akihiko feels a little afraid.

"Uh good I guess"

He backs up a little while Akane just mimics the distance he backs up.

"You know that intruder was really boring, but you, you have the same power as me. You'd make a much better opponent"

Shido manages to make his way into the training as Akane begins gathering her red flames, and seeing Shido causes her to immediately regain control and releases the fire she gathered at the wall and falls to the ground exhausted.

""Huff""huff" I hate it when that happens"

While they were recovering from the moment Akihiko falls over and accidently falls over and lands on the bag that the intruder dropped which was full of those crystals; Shido becomes frustrated at the black smoke appearing again but grabs the others and waits for the smoke to engulf them; where ever they ended up he didn't want to be separated from them. After dealing with the passing smoke they ended up in the city again but in the morning since they could see students walking towards the school. Both Akane and Akihiko were wondering what had happened, but Shido spent the next few minutes explaining what he knew. In the original timeline at DEM headquarter the masked young man was upset with his two subordinates.

"You both failed to capture him!?"

"But sir we weren't sure he was ready yet, and we ran into some trouble"

The young pulls his hand back to slap the two but decides against it.

"Okay, but we must double our efforts…Kokoro!"

A woman garbed in a pearl white cloak teleports next to him.

"Yes, my love?"

"Where's Shido located now?"

"Let me see…"

The cloaked woman pauses for a second.

"Ah I can sense it he's in the timeline with our little spy"

"Do not refer to her as a spy again Kokoro"

"Sorry my love"

The young man has the cloaked woman Kokoro make contact with someone in the timeline Shido ended up someone very dangerous.


	3. Chapter 3

Ch.3 Broken Clock

Somewhere in a dark room there were two people. One was a man without his shirt with three targets painted on his torso, leg, and face. The other was obscured by the shadow behind a window which let the light seep through since it was still day time. They had a gun pointed at the man with targets painted on his body.

"Please don't kill me…I'm sorry"

"Oh really then you're free to go"

The man with targets painted on his body becomes surprised.

"Re..really?"

"Tehe of course you did say you were sorry and there's the door"

The man stands up slowly, walks to the door, and is almost ready to cry from his experience. Then at the height of his hope the person fires three bullets directly into the center of each target blowing large holes in the man's body.

"Oh dear, my finger must have slipped...Oh well"

Afterward, the person is contacted by the cloaked woman who appears through the shadows of the room next to the body of now dead man.

"Ah I guess I'm just in time"

The woman steps in a puddle of blood staining her boot.

"But I wish you'd be cleaner with your kills"

The person behind the shadow puts their gun down to listen to woman. Meanwhile elsewhere in the city Shido and the two spirit children talk about their situation and neglect to tell Akihiko, who had reverted to his normal form at this point, the situation leaving him confused. Akane asks Shido about his thoughts since he's done this more than once and she accepts that they're in another time based on what's happened so far.

"So any guesses to where we Shido?"

"So you're not going to call me da…."

Akane puts her hand to mouth to prevent him from finishing his sentence.

"No, I'd rather not since it would be confusing for me"

"Fair enough, but I don't know what to do since when I met Akihiko everything kind of wrote itself and the same when I met you"

"Okay well based on what you told me earlier we should look for this world's spirit child"

"What makes you think there is one?"

"You've met two so far odds are there's one here too"

Akihiko looks at Akane with confusion.

"Spirit child?"

Shido makes a request to Akane.

"Okay so I have an idea"

"What?"

"You tell Akihiko what's going on and I'll look for the spirit child if there even is one"

"How do plan to do that?"

"Well I'll look for a resemblance to me or any of the girls"

"Okay good luck Shido"

Shido leaves the two who begin their talk. Shido's first move is to check Raizen since if he's got a kid in this time odds are they'd be going there. He also couldn't but feel weird about everything that's happened so far.

"Meeting my own kids…The story of my life and that's saying something"

Despite everything he still remembers that he's looking for Tohka and Kotori so they could go home. When Shido arrives at the school he manages to blend in since he was wearing his uniform this whole time. He felt just weird seeing the school since he didn't recognize anybody then again maybe some of these students could even be the kids of his old classmates. He became especially suspicious of this when he saw three boys grouped together looking at him and they heavily resembled Ai, Mai, and Mii even their hair style and colors looked like the girls. He wasn't entirely sure until the boy who looked like Ai saying.

"Hey is that guy staring at us?"

The boy who looked like Mai responded.

"I think he is"

And the last boy who looked like Mii said the phrase that tied it all together.

"That's so lame"

Shido was now certain who they were.

"Wow three boys huh guess I should expect something like this from those three"

Shido walked around the school for a while trying to avoid being caught since he wasn't a student here anymore in this time because based on everything he's seen this time takes place at least eighteen years from the present maybe more. As wanders he actually does run into one familiar face; holding her attendance book was only she looked older as her hair was slightly longer than before and she was starting to get crow's feet on her face. She immediately saw Shido and stopped him in the hallway to look at him to which he responded calmly to remain innocent looking.

"Yes, Ma'am?"

"You know I could swear I've seen you before….but I can't remember"

Shido makes up an excuse to avoid any suspicion.

"Uh well maybe I'm just uh…one of those people others think they've seen"

"No, I've seen you…."

Before can figure anything someone accidently bumps into Shido from behind, but this time only the other person fell down. Shido turned around to see who it was and on the ground was a girl who had a striking resemblance to Kurumi. Only she had the same hair color as Shido and was about medium length but longer in the front with a style similar to Kurumi's with a black ribbon tied to her bangs, and she had red eyes, but one of them was covered by her bangs. Shido extends his arm to help her which she accepts. The girl quickly apologized and had a timid feel to her words.

"Sorry about"

"Nah don't worry about, but more importantly are you okay?"

"Oh I'm fine thank you…"

Shido decides to not use his real name around since it would cause nothing but problems.

"Uh Shin my name is Shin"

The girl chuckled a little and he smile made her look identical to Kurumi despite the differences. interrupted them because of an announcement that she was supposed to give to all the students she came across because the school didn't have time to send it to all the students.

"Saori I'm glad to see you at here as usual, but school is being canceled for the rest of the week"

"Oh why Tama-chan?"

"Something happened so we're sending the students home"

"So we're asking the students to go home in groups of two or more so Shin was it… could you please escort Saori home her brother and sister aren't here today…(Lighter tone)oh now I see I must have mistaken you for Reiji (taps head) my bad"

Shido wanted to learn more about Saori because he was almost certain that she was his daughter in this time based on the evidence so far, so he agreed to take her home. Back in the spot where Akane and Akihiko where they finally finished their talk and Akihiko was so speechless to the point he had to sit down to gather his thoughts.

"So that guy is a younger version of my dad?"

"OUR dad technically"

"So my mom's not here then"

"No, she's in your time probably worried sick about you"

"Why are you so calm about this? I might not ever my dad, my mom, or my sister again!"

Akihiko begins to tear up a little and his body begins to emit a purple aura which causes the ground to begin shaking. Akane realizes that he may be causing a special quake.

"(Oh damn not good!)"

Akane slaps him and knocks him out of it and the ground stops shaking.

"Why did you do that!?"

"Because we got here one way and we'll get back another so quit whining and work with us to find a way. Shido seems up for it so what do you say Akihiko?"

Akihiko takes a deep breath.

"….Okay okay I'll do what I can"

As they settle down another person buts into their moment.

"Excuse me did you say Shido like Shido Itsuka?"

The two turn to face the person and Akane's eyes widen when she sees the person who asked the question. Back to where Shido was he was walking towards the apartments with Saori until she asked.

"Uh, where are we going?"

Shido turned to face her.

"Don't you live around here?"

"No, I live in a different part of the city"

"Oh my bad"

Saori then took the lead but stays close to Shido like she was afraid of being attacked if she moved further away. Shido wanted to know for sure if this girl was, in fact, his daughter without a doubt so he asked her.

"So what are your parents like?"

"Well my dad's name is Shido and he works a lot but he always makes time for us and my mom, well she's kind of mysterious even to us but she's very kind and caring to us and she's named Kurumi"

"Hehe sounds like you've got a happy family (I'm glad to one universe where I could help Kurumi)"

"Yup me, my parents, my two brothers Reiji and Koji, my three sisters Asami, Miki, and Emi plus another on the way"

Shido was filled with shock at that last remark and can't help but think.

"(Seven kids! Me and Kurumi have seven kids in this time!?)"

Saori changes the subject of the conversation.

"So how do you feel about the shooter?"

"The shooter?"

"Oh, I thought everyone knew about it. The shooter is this serial killer that showed about a month ago and he's been killing students and teachers from our school"

"Is that why you're so afraid right now?"

"Well kind of you see some of my friends were killed and I'm just so afraid of being next"

Shido pats Saori's head since he couldn't help but comfort her; this made her blush a little.

"Hey, why are you patting my head?"

"Because I want you to feel better that's why. I'm an older brother so this kind of comes naturally to me"

They continue walking after Saori calmed down and she continues more about this mysterious shooter.

"The reason the call him the shooter is because he paints targets on his victims before shooting at them with some kind of gun, but no one's ever seen the shooter face to face yet"

"Wow sounds like this guy is real psycho"

Shido says this, but he has a suspicion about this times Kurumi since he remembered the time he watched her shoot someone and the gore that was around the area.

"(I really hope I'm wrong about this)"

As they walk a gust of wind blows Saori's hair exposing her left eye, and to Shido's shock the skin around it was purple and slightly swollen a black eye.

"What happened to your eye?"

Saori reacts in horror and runs further ahead to avoid being confronted about and Shido chases after her to make sure she was okay. Eventually, the chase led them to a house in a suburb area; the house was decently large and bigger than the other houses in the area. Saori runs into the house and slams the door behind her; Shido despite the situation does the courteous thing and waits a few minutes before knocking on the door. After a few moments of waiting someone answers the door.

"Yes, can I help you?"

Shido's eyes widened when he saw who it was. The person was Kurumi and just like the Tohka he met in the first future he went to, she looked older. Her hair was longer with her twin tails now reaching the bottom of her knees. She was wearing a rose red dress which in similar design to her old black outfit, black ribbons with red flowers instead of red with black flowers, a black choker with a rose near the center, and a heart-shaped pendant and she was a couple inches taller. Shido blushed when he saw her since she looked just as if not more beautiful than she does in the present.

"(Whoa even now she looks in-freaking-credible)"

The adult Kurumi became flustered seeing him blush.

"Oh my; are you staring at me?"

Shido quickly regains his composure.

"Uh, no ma'am I was just so surprised by…well you I mean…"

"You don't need to be shy I get this a lot"

"(Not surprising)"

Kurumi smiles at Shido and then looks around the area and then inside the house then changes her expression to her more serious look.

"So tell me how you got here…Shido"

Shido is surprised that Kurumi called him out so quickly compared to Tohka but decides not to fight it and admits the truth.

"So you noticed right away huh?"

"Of course, I'd have to be incredibly ignorant not to notice and are you the reason my daughter came home upset?"

"Well, I didn't mean to I just…"

Kurumi chuckles a little.

"I'm just messing with you. I know that you wouldn't do that on purpose Saori's just been so afraid lately so don't blame yourself"

"Yeah she told me about her friends disappearing lately"

"Well come in I've got lots of questions for you"

Shido enters the home to speak with adult Kurumi. Back in the present time at DEM headquarters Isaac talks with the masked young man about a plan that he had proposed since they seemed to be working together for the moment. They were speaking in a private room where only they were allowed. Isaac rather liked the plan since it involved capturing the spirits.

"I rather like your plan… what was your name again?"

The young man spoke calmly to Isaac as he stated his name.

"Shinra my name is Shinra remember that from now on Isaac"

"Okay, okay, I'll remember that so why do insist that have these meetings in private?"

"I don't trust anyone and besides I have knowledge that could benefit the both of us"

"Well based on what you've shown me I believe you"

"Good now then let's discuss what I need from DEM"

"Hey anything you want it's yours"

"Also…."

The young man named Shinra pulls out a briefcase and places it in front of Isaac.

"Oh, what's this?"

"Something you and Ellen will need in the future"

He opens the briefcase and inside are what appears to be two cybernetic gauntlets. He pulls one and looks at it with a wondering look.

"What are these exactly?"

Shinra merely smiled at his new partner as he prepares to explain what these gauntlets are. In the other time where Shido is he talks with Kurumi while eating sweets and drinking tea with her. The house felt warm and truly looked happy from the decorations. He was having a wonderful conversation with the adult version of Kurumi and can't help but think.

"(How did he do it? How did the me of this time reach her)?"

Kurumi's smile now felt genuinely warm and happy only adding to Shido's desire to know how he can save the Kurumi of his time.

"I bet you're wondering how my husband saved me am I right?"

Shido nearly spits out the tea he was drinking.

"I'll take that as a yes"

Shido put down his cup and looked at her with a serious look.

"Kurumi I just want to save her… the you of my time so please tell me how he did it, the me of this time"

Kurumi continues to sip her tea as she tells him.

"He told me he loved, he hugged me, I struggled and shot him, and he never let me go even now he holds onto me. Let me show you what I mean"

Kurumi walks over to a cabinet and pulls out a photo album. As they flip through each photo Shido sees himself and Kurumi growing older together but he notices something each photo had in common besides them. In each photo that they both appeared in Shido was holding onto Kurumi with a smile on his face.

"He always held onto me when we took photos together and I always felt happy when he did"

Shido flips through more photos and starts seeing the happy couple in photos grow into a family of five.

"So Saori is…"

Kurumi finishes his sentence with an answer.

"One of a set of triplets that I birthed as our first children"

"Kurumi I…."

Kurumi hugs Shido.

"I hope you can save her she really has no idea how happy this life can make her"

As they hug a voice breaks the moment.

"MOMMY!"

Kurumi pulls back from Shido and walks upstairs in a hurry. Curious Shido follows her to see whose voice it was since it sounded much younger than Saori's. Kurumi walks towards a door on the second floor and opens it. Shido decides to stop and just listens to the conversation inside the room. It was a bedroom of Kurumi and Shido's youngest daughter Emi who has been sick for the a few days. Kurumi was sitting at her bedside gently rubbing her head.

"What is it Emi?"

The girl was about seven years old, had neck-length straight blue hair, and two different eye colors red and gold, but they were both normal looking. She was underneath the blankets on her bed with a wet cloth on her forehead.

"I'm hungry"

"Okay, what would you like?"

The little girl already knew what she wanted.

"Some of daddy's soup, a fruit cup, and a juice box please"

Kurumi just smiled as she said.

"Okay just wait a few minutes"

Shido overhears them and makes it downstairs and looks in the fridge. He finds a pot of soup which he immediately identifies as the soup, grabs a fruit cup, and picks up a juice box from the bottom shelf. By the time, Kurumi makes it downstairs Shido already had while the soup was warming up in the microwave. Kurumi was surprised by this and was grateful.

"Thanks, Shido"

"I may not be from this time, but I can't help but care about this family. So is it a cold or something?"

"Yeah most likely she seems to be getting better"

Shido changes the subject because his concern.

"Kurumi do you know anything about the shooter?"

Kurumi answers casually.

"You think I'm the shooter is that it?"

Shido wasn't surprised at how quickly she caught on since she was never slow to the punch. But Kurumi has news for him.

"Given my past I don't blame you but let me ask you this. During your entire visit why hasn't Ratatoskr noticed you from watching me?"

Shido hadn't realized it, but Ratatoskr should have noticed him by now since he's been in the same location for a good while. Kurumi tells him something that shocks him further.

"The reason is because Ratatoskr no longer watches us because my powers are completely gone"

"You're powers are gone?"

"Yes see"

Kurumi lifts her hair to show Shido her left eye which was now completely blank; the golden clock was gone.

"Yes our children have my powers sealed inside them now all six of them and now my left eye is useless"

"Six? I thought there was a seventh on the way"

Kurumi looked surprised.

"How… do you know about that? I haven't told anyone yet"

"Huh, but Saori told…"

In her room, Saori chuckled a little under her breath as she opens her closet and begins talking like someone was in the room with her.

"Now then it's almost time for our dénouement…."

Saori reaches into the shadows and seemingly grips something with her hand and begins to pull on it while smiling with an uneasy look on her face.


	4. Chapter 4

Ch.4 New Nightmare

Downstairs again Shido was beginning to become suspicious but his thoughts are stopped by the ding of the microwave.

"Oh the soup is ready"

"Thank you Shido I'll bring this to Emi and she's probably going to ask me to spoon feed her"

"Glad I could help"

They both walk up stairs, but Shido walks towards Saori's bedroom which Kurumi pointed him to. When he got to the door he knocked on it hoping that she would talk to him.

"Hey, Saori it's me, Shin. Your mom let me in and I was just waiting for you to calm down and I'm sorry about earlier"

The door slowly opens revealing Saori holding a black stuffed kitten. She wasn't upset anymore and invited Shido into her room to talk; her room was standard looking with a TV, a bed, a work table, and some stuffed animals. Shido sits in a chair next to her work table while she sits on her bed with an apologetic look on her face.

"I'm sorry Shin I didn't want anyone to see it"

"Hey it's okay, so how did that happen?

"….."

"If you don't want to say then you don't have to"

Saori just looked down at the ground so Shido knew she didn't want to say anything yet. So he decided to leave it alone for now

"Like I said you don't have to say"

"Thanks, Shin. Can I just have some more time to myself?"

"Sure"

Shido walks out of the room and begins making his way to the stairs when he passes by Emi's room again where Kurumi was about to leave with the dishes since Emi was done eating. As he passed by the door he looks inside and sees Kurumi hugging Emi and thinks to himself.

"I wonder how the Kurumi I know would feel seeing this"

Kurumi exits the bedroom and downstairs Shido decides to ask her one question before he leaves.

"Kurumi I know it's really my business by why haven't told anyone about number seven?"

Kurumi walks over to the cabinet and pulls out a small yellow box and opens it.

"This is why"

Kurumi reaches inside and pulls out a few small objects like a ticket, a pressed flower, and a receipt which she hid behind her back with a blush. But what she wanted to show Shido was one of her most cherished possessions.

"This is why"

She showed Shido an old pregnancy test which read positive.

"I want to surprise my husband with the news just like on our first anniversary when he saw this and I'll never forget his smile when he saw this"

"I see so you want to remind him of that feeling"

Shido said goodbye to Kurumi since he didn't want to involve Saori in whatever was going on and decided to find the other three of her children before it got too dark since the sky was orange. In Saori's room, she watches Shido leave the house and someone else is in the room with her saying.

"Reiji's in place sister"

"Good job sister"

Back where Akane and Akihiko were they had found out whom the shooter was from the person who had approached them. But they needed to get to Shido fast since he was in danger and decided to split up. Akane was more afraid since she had a better idea of what they were dealing with, but didn't fully know what kind of person they were. Shido had left the house to look around the city to find Asami and Miki the other two daughters Kurumi had with his future self since he thought Reiji would be difficult to find. He walked around the high school which was closed due to the students and staff being told to stay home until the killings have stopped. He looked upwards and saw someone in one of the windows and they looked like Saori but slightly different.

Shido decided to check it out since it could be Asami or Reiji. Shido made his way to the roof of the school, but oddly enough none of the doors was locked and the gate was open like someone expected him to walk by. Once on the roof Shido sees a young man wearing the school uniform and he heavily resembles Saori only his hair was shorter and disheveled. He was smiling and holding what appeared to be midnight black single-edged sword in his right hand. The odd thing was his first words to Shido

"Hey Shido"

Shido was shocked that he knew his name.

"How do you…"

The young man had a smug look on his face.

"I heard from a reliable source like how you're my dad's younger self. Oh, speaking of which if you didn't already know my name is Reiji and…"

Reiji points over to the door which flies open and two more people come through two girls. One of them was Saori and she was being pushed to the ground by the other girl who looked like Reiji and Saori only her hair was longer and tied in a tail which kept in the front of her body. She was holding an identical sword only it was slightly smaller. Shido was afraid since Saori was covered with red marks likely caused from being hit and now he thinks that they gave Saori her black eye.

"Saori! Why are the two of you doing this? isn't she your sister!?"

The second girl Asami merely laughed at his words and didn't speak as she walked over to him with Reiji approaching as well. Saori lay on the ground crying and helpless as Shido held his ground as they approached when Akihiko jumps up from the street below and was surprised by his feat.

"Wow didn't know I could do that"

The two siblings look at him with slight fear. Reiji seemed enraged at Akihiko's appearance.

"Who the hell are you!?"

Akihiko had a smile on his face and he summoned his sword and for some reason her was wearing a mantle resembling his cape on his left shoulder.

"I'm Akihiko Itsuka at this guy you're messing with is my buddy"

Shido was happy to see Akihiko.

"Good time Akihiko glad you're here"

"Please Shido were buddies so call me Aki"

"Okay Aki I need your help just don't hurt them too much"

Aki assumes his stance and he manages to knock both of the siblings out with just one swing of his sword and didn't even need to cut them.

"Uh, that was easy…"

Aki was feeling uneasy since he shouldn't have beaten them this easily they looked too well equipped to lose this easily. But his worries were at ease when Saori stood up and hugged Shido with tears in her eyes.

"Shin they told me to help them…they wanted to know where you were and I didn't know so they…"

Shido patted Saori on the head.

"It's okay you're safe now"

Akane noticed Akihiko's jump from a distance and made her way to the rooftop. She was a little surprised that there was no action.

"Well I guess I'm not needed"

She looked at the ground and saw Asami on the ground.

"So this is the shooter huh…where's her gun?"

Both Shido and Aki were a little confused since Shido had forgotten.

"Her gun but she isn't the shooter"

Akane looked at Shido nervously.

"Shido this isn't funny I heard it from someone the shooter is Saori Itsuka and where's her gun!?"

"Akane that's…Asami..Saori is…"

Saori's crying turned to a slight laugh as she was still in Shido's arms. She lifted her head and looked at him with an uneasy smile. Shido freaked out a little and let go of her to pull back a little.

"So you've found me out huh"

"Saori it was you who was behind this?"

Saori warps to her sibling's unconscious bodies and takes their swords and puts on a creepier smile.

"Yes I was and these two weaklings were my puppets... in a way you were too"

Shido, Aki, and Akane were all feeling uneasy by Saori who wiped away her red marks which were just makeup and another gust of wind blows through her hair revealing instead of a black eye her eye was a gold clock. Akane was even more afraid now as she said.

"You've got to be kidding me"

Saori looked at all three of the others as she spoke.

"A lonely hurt girl approaches an honest young man and is need of help. Feeling so generous he assists her and listens to her worries like a gentleman. It was so easy to get close to you then again I guess it would be… daddy"

Saori lets out a maddened laugh as shadows erupt from below her feet engulfing her completely. When the shadows clear she is now wearing an altered version of Kurumi's astral dress it was the same length but it lacked the headpiece and was light green instead of red, the skirt was torn in half at the front, and wore form-fitting black outfit underneath.

"Ah I feel so much better"

But something didn't feel right still since she didn't have a gun anywhere and Akane was sure she wasn't showing everything.

"If you really are the shooter then where are your guns?"

"Hmm I don't need them to handle the two of you"

Shido was still shocked beyond belief since he thought Saori was a sweet innocent girl.

"Saori you..killed those people? Didn't say some of the victims were your friends? so does that mean you killed your own friends and…you used your own brother and sister!?"

Saori turned to face Shido with her clock eye now in plain sight.

"Friends…hahaha haha hahaha"

"What's so funny?"

"Those things weren't my friends they lied to me, they cheated me, and then they tried to blackmail me and laughed while they did it to me..I was so destroyed and that's when my powers awakened"

Shido was feeling a little sympathetic until Saori said next.

"They thought it was funny so showed them what I thought was funny. I kidnaped them and told them whoever killed the other got to leave so I sat and watched them kill each other it was priceless. Then when the winner came to me I said what I didn't say you would leave alive. Then I laughed as I tortured her to death."

Aki was angered by her words.

"If your friends cheated you then they deserved to get punished but you didn't have to kill them! And didn't you kill several others as well!?"

Saori shrugged it off.

"Yeah like my pig-headed teacher. Mom said men usually want one thing, he didn't get from me and started taking it out on my grades, so I gave him a private lecture in homicide 101 which he fantastically failed"

Both Aki and Akane were outraged by her words and Shido was upset as well so he told her off.

"Saori why didn't ask for help!? Asami, Reiji, your mom, or even your dad they could have helped you and you know it!"

Saori laughed again at his words.

"Oh really do you know what they were blackmailing me with Shido, do you?"

Shido backed down a little to hear what Saori had to say since she had a depressed look.

"They said they'd tell everyone that I was in a relationship with our teacher and even photoshopped some photos of us…together. Then they called me powerless to help it..powerless to do anything… how could I explain that to my mom and dad"

"Saori…"

Saori's look then quickly turned into a sadistic smile.

"But it doesn't matter now because I am strong and I can do anything I want. I even told Reiji and Asami that if they didn't help me I'd kill Emi just to see their faces hahaha hahaha hahaha."

Everyone was disturbed by Saori's behavior especially Shido since she was his daughter. Aki and Akane attack Saori since they were sick of hearing her psychotic episode. Saori, however, didn't move as her shadow erupted from the ground and whipped around her body with the speed of a bullet. Aki and Akane blocked with their swords making no progress until Akane decided to try something. She gathered a small portion of her mana into her feet and after a few second she dashes past Saori with more intense speed leaving a streak of erupting flames behind her.

"BURNING PHOENIX!"

The flames strike up at Saori, she jumps to try to avoid it, but the flames rise up with her.

"No choice..Protect me Throne!"

A sigil appears below Saori's feet and blocks the flames. As it does a red light emerges in the form of a ball appears and floats behind Saori. It then begins to take shape as it wraps around Saori's neck and after a minute it fully takes shape as a black-haired girl in a red robe-like dress embracing Saori from behind. She had an irritated face as she proclaimed.

"How dare you challenge me!"

Akane was baffled by the black haired girl.

"Who's that!?"

Saori then looked a little confused herself.

"This…(smiles)oh, that's so cute. You can't summon your guardian yet can you?"

Both Aki and Akane were confused.

"Guardian?"

"Yes guardian…look at her closely"

Shido is the first to notice that the girl looked exactly like the adult Kurumi and then remembers something that the other Origami said.

"Like her parents were protecting her with their own arms"

Shido then understood a little bit. The girl was embracing Saori like a mother embracing her child as the girl had a warm smile while holding onto her.

"It's Kurumi's power isn't it?"

Saori made a bell sound indicating he was correct.

"Very good Shido, this is Throne. Spirit children can manifest their mother's power in the form of a guardian with its own unique powers, but those powers are a se-cret"

She knew what a spirit child was and this only further added suspicion to who Saori actually was. Before anyone else could move a new voice entered the scene.

"My my my so this is the shooter that's been using my powers I'm very unhappy about this"

Everyone turns over to the door and slowly walking through the door already in her astral dress with her guns was Kurumi only it was the younger one that Shido was more familiar with and he was shocked yet happy to see her but Saori wasn't.

"You?"

"Me"

Kurumi waved at Saori and one of her past selves sneaks behind Shido and moves him over to where the real one was to keep him safe she also moved Asami and Reji into a room on a lower floor while she has five others fight Saori. When he got to her he immediately started patting her shoulders in disbelief.

"Kurumi? Are you the one I know"

Kurumi her face next to his neck.

"Does this answer your question?"

She then licks his neck making him slightly uncomfortable yet happy. He was so happy to see someone from his own time again but was confused as to how she got here.

"Kurumi…how?"

"I'll explain later"

Kurumi steps forward to get in on the challenge and Saori puts her smile back on after killing the other Kurumi's whose dead bodies were on the ground still. She looked over at Shido as she said.

"You want to know where my guns are. Well, the truth is I don't have any….however"

Throne lets go of Saori and opens her hands. From each of her fingers, a black thread-like light emerges thin as wire and five sinks into the ground while the others attach to the dead Kurumi's.

"This is probably the most disturbing power I possess"

From the shadows, five Kurumi's' emerge each holding their own guns and they all looked dead because each one had damage to its body. Then the dead Kurumi's stand up with their guns still working and even the real Kurumi is disturbed by this sight.

"What the?"

"Hehehe beautiful isn't it? Even dead they want to protect me, these marionettes my mother so generously accumulated for me. This is the identity of the shooter or shooters if you want to get technical"

Saori assumes a stance with her swords as the reanimated Kurumi's ready their guns. Akane and Aki turn into their spirit forms and join Kurumi. They begin cutting down the reanimated Kurumi's as and try to make their way to Saori and manage to get close a few times but can't make it past her shadow which keeps slashing at them. Aki, however, begins feeling a power grow inside his sword as the battle continues and thinks about a guardian of his own since he missed his mother and just wanted to see anything that looked like her. He was so distracted that the shadow knocked his sword out of his hands and was about to stab him through the heart. Everything began to slow down. Then an image of his mother appears again but only her smiling face telling him how much she loved him and a glyph appears below his feet.

A purple haired girl appears holding a sheathed sword which blocks the shadow. This girl was wearing the same dress as throne but purple and she assumed the embrace after handing Akihiko the sheathed sword which he unsheathed. The sword was like his other one, but the blade was smooth, slimmer, and smaller, but it felt powerful. Aki then begins gathering his mana into the blade and Saori is too busy gloating at Kurumi and Akane to notice. After a second of charging Akihiko raises his sword to the sky releasing the energy he stored in the form of a sigil that appears over the entire roof. He shouts for everyone to move out of the way. Kurumi, Akane, and Shido were close to the exit, but Saori wasn't so fortunate. Akihiko shouted at the top of his lungs.

"ANNIHILATION….RENDING SABER!"

He then drives his sword into the ground releasing a massive wave of energy that shoots into the sky as Saori screams from the pain she feels from it. When the energy subsides Aki feels exhausted and his armor disappears. A thick cloud of smoke covers the roof and the only sound is Aki's panting from exhaustion. But after it disappears Saori is seen still standing covered with injuries and everyone was shocked that she was still alive. She looked at Aki with rage in her eyes.

"Damn you…damn you to hell!"

Saori then materializes a gun in her hand and then shocks everyone with her next move.

"Come Zafkiel!"

Zafkiel appears behind Saori only the twelve and the eight were missing from its body. Saori points the gun at the fourth and uses Dalet to undo her injuries and laughs about it. Everyone was shocked with their mouths held open.

"Normally a spirit child couldn't use an angel but I've stolen mana from brothers and sisters so I've got all their powers plus mom's. But I've decided to a call it a day so farewell I know I'll see you again."

The use of the bullet costs her some time so decides to flee for now and jumps into a portal of darkness which gave the same feeling as the smoke and she laughed the entire time. With everything calm, Shido felt sad seeing his own daughter act like that. After everyone calmed down they gathered around Kurumi who explained how she got here.

"Some woman wearing bandages gave this to me"

Kurumi showed everyone a metal bracelet with a weird insignia on it that slightly looked like the Ratatoskr symbol.

"She said you needed my help so I agreed she also said that she'd send one more ally and that we also need to go to some other timelines to find the others. She told me everything.

Shido was wondering who this bandaged woman was and why she was helping them. But he also realized something.

"Aki..Akane you can go home now..Kurumi can they?"

"Yeah she said I can get them home anytime"

Aki and Akane both shook their heads. Aki made his feelings known first.

"No, I miss my mom but I ain't leaving my buddy when he needs help and besides I can leave at any time now"

Then Akane joined in.

"I'm with him my dad's a good man and I'll help any version of him in any way that I can"

Shido was heart warmed by their words and decided to let them join him. Kurumi had no problems and used her new bracelet which created a portal like the one Saori used only it was white. As they went through it Akane made one last comment.

"I sure hope the next one your kids we meet can kick a lot of ass"


	5. Chapter 5

Ch.5 World of order

Shido's party had arrived in the next timeline but unlike the others the place where they ended up this place was destroyed and barren like a war zone. Destroyed buildings everywhere and even large pieces of ships were covering the field. Everyone was surprised by this since the area was devoid of life and yet something was off. They spent about an hour looking around for anything since this was one of the timelines they were supposed to visit according to Kurumi.

Shido couldn't get Saori off his mind so Akane tried to cheer him up.

"Shido there's nothing you could've done back there"

"I know but..I can't help it. Saori was just so…"

Akane just bluntly responds.

"Crazy"

"Please don't say that. It just feels like I've failed as a parent and it hurts"

"Shido you're not technically her dad or mine for that matter, so why do you care so much?"

"I don't care if you, or her, or Aki are from different times you're still my kids in one way or another and I love you all like a dad"

Akane was touched by his words, puts on a casual look, and lifts her face to the sky.

" My dad is a good man, he always does what he can for me and mom, he's always kind to us, and he never once gave up on anyone he believed in. Now I see why mom loves him so just by talking to you."

Shido felt a little better and pats Akane on the head to show his gratitude.

"Thank you, Akane. You know you really remind me of Kotori"

Akane's white ribbon shows as she says.

"Of course I'm not as cool as my mom"

After some more time walking they decide to take a break and think about their situation. Kurumi talks a little more about what was going on since she has a better grasp on the situation. From what she understands Shido has been gone for about two weeks, Mana went missing, and the other spirits are worried beyond words. Kurumi was looking into it and along the way she encountered the woman with the bandages and got to where they were now. But Shido was more curious about the other ally that was mentioned.

"So Kurumi did the bandaged woman say anything about the other person she was sending?"

"No, but she did say they would know who we are and that they'd be strong"

Everyone was relieved to hear that last part especially after their encounter with Saori and they had a feeling she wasn't the worst of their problems. When night hit they made a fire with some stuff they found around the area and they even found some stuff to eat. Akane leaves on her own for a little while to clear her head while the others sleep. Shido and Aki slept sitting up while Shido let Kurumi laid her head on his lap so she could sleep lying down. While the others slept Akane found a private area and turned into her spirit form and began training her powers. She didn't want to admit it but she jealous that Aki awakened a power she didn't know existed without much effort so she dedicated herself to awakening her own guardian and the night sky lit up with her flames filling it.

Back in the original time at DEM headquarters Shinra was meeting with Isaac to discuss their next move since both of them were losing their patience. Shinra wanted to send one his followers again, but Isaac felt different.

"Listen Shinra I've been patient with you so far. But now I think it's my turn to send my own right hand"

"You mean to send Ellen. Am I correct?"

"You are sharp but then again with all the information you've given me I can't feel surprised by anything you say"

"You praise me too much Isaac."

Upon concluding their meeting Isaac ordered Ellen to make preparations since it was her turn to try and she assured her director she wouldn't fail. He also asked Shinra about using the gauntlet he gave them but he said they weren't ready to use. Ellen was determined to prove her superiority to Shinra since he seemed to belittle her. Isaac also prepared some bandersnatches to go with her as a little backup. Elsewhere in the building in a room that Isaac thinks is monitored Shinra was meeting Saori, who teleported through the shadows, in secret since she had failed in her mission or so it appeared. Shinra greeted her with a smile and a polite demeanor.

"So Saori how did it feel meeting your father in such a way."

Saori was smiling an uneasy smile as she answered her masked leader.

"Hehe it was fun but I have to say sorry for not knowing that Akihiko's powers before it was too late."

"Don't worry about even he didn't know about it."

Saori shook her head, chuckling at the absurdity of her loss.

"By the way, why'd you let him send his whore when I'm the optimal choice?"

Shinra looked at Saori, but his expression wasn't clear due to his eyes being covered by his mask.

"Easy, because unlike you I don't care if Ellen survives the next fight and I want to know who SHE's going to send next. Besides I can't afford for any one of us to get injured yet."

"Whatever, it's not like I care as long as I can have my fun later"

Saori tries to leave, but Shinra stops her.

"Saori would you kindly deliver a message to Shido? I'm not ready to meet him yet"

"Sure as long as I can have fun with it"

Back in the timeline where Shido and the others were it was now morning. Shido was asleep still when someone shook him awake and was talking to him.

"Hey you know kids aren't allowed here"

Shido woke up and a woman had her arms on his shoulders. She was wearing AST equipment and had long brown hair. Shido didn't recognize her at all or see any resemblance to anyone he knew she was just a regular wizard. She had two other wizards with her none which stood out to him. They talked to each other about procedure stuff like how should they go about finding kids in the restricted area.

"We should contact the colonel and ask him how to deal with these kids"

While everyone else was waking up Shido had to ask the obvious question.

"Uh, what are you talking about restricted area?"

The three wizards point at the opposite direction. Shido sees the city and palm slaps his face since he didn't see it last night because it was dark. The three wizards place their hands on their earpieces which they took orders from and the brown haired one then spoke to the group after rounding them up.

"Okay, kids the colonel said he'd like to speak with the four of you tomorrow afternoon and asked us to escort you back to the city."

Since the three wizards weren't acting very threateningly they decided to go with them since the city was the place they wanted to be. Upon arriving in the city, the wizards let them go and told them they would have to report to the police station to meet the colonel. Apparently the AST makes more open appearances in this timeline and even occupy the police station now as the new police force. Once they take in the sights of wizards constantly soaring through the sky and waving to the townspeople below who were cheering for them. Shido and the others were confused until Akane saw something that caught her eye.

"Hey I think I may have found something"

Akane picked up a newspaper from a nearby stand and it read: Tomorrow is the day we celebrate the one-year anniversary of the downfall of the terrorist organization Deus EX Machina. The heroes who fought and survived the war will attend a memorial service for their fallen comrades. The elite unit who led the final assault will present the audience with a surprise they say will give closure to the relatives and friends of the heroes who lost their lives fighting.

Shido was the first to comment on the paper since he was feeling really surprised.

"Wow so DEM was labeled as a terrorist group huh"

Akane followed up with unsurprised response while still looking around the paper.

"That doesn't surprise me really. Mom never liked them and told me to never trust them"

Aki wasn't in much of a mood to talk since the idea of war made him uneasy. Kurumi had nothing to say on the matter. After reading the paper the group decides to go their ways and meet back in the same location in six hours. Shido walked around the city for a while and decided to see the school in this time and see what was the same was and what was different from the time they just came from. The school more or less wasn't different however seeing it so soon made him think of Saori again since he was standing in the place where they met so he walked around the school to get his mind off her. But just the idea of her being cruel just felt so wrong when he thought about how loving and caring her mother was.

In the city, Kurumi was looking through a window of a pet store since it was displaying some puppies that were recently ready to be purchased. She looked at them for a few minutes when a woman opened the door to the shop and approached her.

"Excuse me, young lady if you'd like to come in and hold one you may"

Kurumi paid no attention to the woman as she responded.

"Oh yes, I would. But I can't buy one"

"That's okay tons of people come in just to pet them. I don't mind as long as you're gentle with them"

Kurumi was a little excited to hold one the puppies behind the window since they were so adorable and followed the woman into the store. Inside she could only see the woman from behind and she had long black hair, a pink shirt, and a white knee-length skirt. She reached over by the window and gently picked up one of the puppies and handed it to Kurumi and immediately it started licking her face. The woman chuckled a little.

"He likes you"

Kurumi looked at the woman and finally got a look at her face and to her surprise the woman looked exactly like her only older and her hair wasn't covering her eye any more revealing her clock for everyone to see. But the thing that really took her by surprise was that her regular eye looked like she was blind. The woman was squinting when trying to get a better look at her face.

"You look familiar have we met?"

Kurumi decided to avoid using her name and just answered no. The woman didn't think more of it and introduced herself.

"Oh sorry, my eyesight hasn't been good since the war. My name is Kurumi Tokisaki and this is my animal sanctuary."

Kurumi felt a little surprised but also acknowledged that this possibility must exist since she didn't think it was too odd. So she asked about it.

"Oh so when did you open this place if I may ask?"

The older Kurumi smiled.

"About a few months ago actually. You see after the war I lost my….purpose and then they passed the animal laws. Then a friend offered to help me open this place to help get these animals to good homes."

"Animal laws?"

The older Kurumi looked at her younger self with confusion.

"I guess you're a tourist if you don't know. Before I opened my store the AST passed a law that absolutely forbids animal abuse and they strictly enforce it. Personally it's my favorite law. Anytime someone is seen abusing an animal they are arrested and subjected to whatever abuse they gave it."

Kurumi loved the idea since people who attack something so helpless would feel as helpless themselves. She spent the rest of her day looking at the animals in the sanctuary as she thought this wasn't a bad future.

Akane spent her time researching on the war for information she could use against DEM in her time since she'd love to crush them. Her search led her to a museum that was opened recently next to Raizen high school. Upon entering since it was free she looked at the mementos displayed including broken pieces from realizers, a DEM standard uniform, and even a chunk of the GOETIA airship. Seeing all these war relics made her feel mortified, especially when she saw the memorial of the fallen wizards and the hundreds of names that was engraved in it.

" _Damn so this is what war is like"_

As she continued looking around for any information about how DEM was exposed Akane comes across an elementary school class on a field trip. Akane was planning on moving for them so they wouldn't be bothered but she sees someone very familiar. It was the class's teacher who had a striking resemblance to Yoshino and she even had Yoshinon with her only Yoshinon was missing half of her left ear. Akane decided not to talk to her but did here part of her lecture to the students which Yoshinon spoke.

"And this boys and girls is an MRE used by the AST. Can anybody tell me what MRE stands for?"

A few students raise their hands and Yoshino points at a little girl and she answers.

"It means meal ready to eat"

Yoshinon shoots up.

"Correct and for getting the right answer you get a Yoshinon sticker."

Yoshino walks over and hands the little girl a sticker shaped like Yoshinon. Akane wasn't feeling very comfortable seeing a group of children learning about a war that apparently devastated part of the city and decided to talk to Yoshino about why she brought them here but needed to wait for her to be alone. So she moved around the museum in opposite directions to avoid being seen while at the same time knowing what the class is doing. After seeing more generic questions like what is the color of the mass-produced uniform, the name of the Ratatoskr's commander at the time which was Kotori, and the day the war ended, Akane was beginning to think that Yoshino wasn't happy to teach these kids about war especially since she avoided the weapons section as well as the memorial. She also was walking with a noticeable limp. After more time waiting Yoshino lets her students eat their lunches and leave them for minute to use the bathroom.

When in the bathroom Yoshino actually just uses her time to gather her thoughts and talk to Yoshinon. She was actually holding back her tears since she actually hated this place.

"Yoshinon why are we here?"

"I don't Yoshino I don't know "sigh" I mean I love those kids, but this is insane"

Akane was listening while inside a nearby stall and talks to her without being seen.

"So if you hate this place then why come here?"

Being as nice as she is Yoshino answers Akane's question despite not knowing her or seeing her.

"The school wanted us to a mandatory field trip to this place"

Yoshinon was more vocal with her disdain about this trip.

"Yeah and they said WE HAD TO or else we'd lose our job for insubordination!"

Akane understood their position but had to say her thoughts about it.

"If you hate doing stuff like this then why continue being a teacher?"

Yoshino then smiles as she gives her answer.

"Because I can help children this way; you see I've never been very confident but when I see my students smiling faces as I teach them it feels amazing"

Yoshinon showed great enthusiasm when speaking her own reason.

"I'm with Yoshino I love those rugrats to death and I love seeing them laugh and smile"

Akane gained respect for the Yoshino of this time she even forgot about Yoshino's limp and just let her get on with her day, but Yoshino gave her words of gratitude.

"I feel a lot better after saying that so thanks for asking me uh miss…"

"Oh don't worry about it. Just keep doing your good work Yoshino"

Yoshino leaves the bathroom and Akane begins to have second thoughts on finding the way to destroy DEM here since she doesn't want to cause a war.

Elsewhere Aki was wandering around the city and came across the shopping arcade and saw a crane game with bread pillows as prizes which made him think about his mom and the one she still has.

" _She loves that thing so much. I'll bring her back one myself"_

Aki then began playing the game and started remembering a time when he came here with Tohka while she was pregnant with his sister Aiko. He was seven years old when he and Tohka came by here to have a fun day together before Aiko was born. The entire day they played games together, ate snacks, and Aki felt her stomach to feel his baby sister kick but that's when Tohka saw the crane game and told her son about her first date with Shido and how they won that pillow for her. Aki was always playing with his mother when he was younger and he just formed an incredibly strong bond with her. He also remembers how much his dad taught him and always had a smile on his face whenever he came home from work. After some more time of playing he runs out of coins and decides to go for some lunch since he was getting hungry.

Shido walked around the city for a while and began seeing that while the city was more locked down the buildings was exactly the same and there were new ones there was also a wall that kept the city locked off from the forbidden zone and he help couldn't but wonder.

"What happened in this time?"

He liked that the city was safer and he even learned that spacial quakes haven't happened in years from a passing citizen who was talking about the AST's ceremony tomorrow but then he heard a name that rang in his ear. It was from another citizen talking about ceremony tomorrow.

"Colonel Itsuka is such a courageous man I'm glad he's protecting us"

Apparently Shido or his kid in this universe was a colonel in AST something that had him feeling proud but at the same time uneasy.

"Does that mean me or my kid fought in that war?"

Shido would have preferred that he fight in a war rather than his child especially if it meant killing people. After some more time thinking, he runs into Aki who was just leaving a restaurant and wants to catch up with him.

"Hey, Aki!"

Aki turns around and sees Shido walking towards him and stops to let him get closer. They walk together and Shido asks Aki about something he's been curious about for a while.

"Hey, Aki how do you feel about your parents?"

Aki was a little confused by this question since it was pretty sudden.

"What's this all of the sudden?"

"I just want to know I mean Akane told me she loves her parents and Saori well I don't know about her"

"Oh I see, well my dad works hard and a lot of the time he's at work most of the time but I understand his job is demanding at times."

Shido was curious about what he did for a career and why he'd take a demanding job if it meant less time with his wife and kids.

"So what do I..he does?"

"My dad's a major executive at a video game company I can't remember the name though. Anyway, I love my mom more than anything else she's caring, she's good at making sweets, and she's always there to make us smile. Now that I think of it I couldn't have asked for a more perfect mom."

Shido was pleased to hear what Aki had to say about the Tohka in his time and even daydreams of what it would be like to be a husband and father. After a minute more of walking around they come across a street fair and something caught their eyes, a woman who looked like Tohka wearing her astral dress was handing out purple and sword-shaped balloons. Shido rushes over in the hopes that it's her and calls to her.

"Tohka is that you!?"

The woman turned around with a smile on her face, but it wasn't Tohka, her face was different and she had green eyes, not to mention she looked at least 23 and she looked a little confused.

"I'm princess who is this Tohka you speak of?"

Shido was disappointed and the woman handed him a balloon and tried to cheer him up.

"Come on cheer up, here have a balloon its spirit day after all so put on a smile and go try some of hermit's shaved ice"

The woman dressed as Tohka pointed over to a stand and behind a counter was a young girl dressed as Yoshino with yellow eyes was serving shaved ice from a dispenser shaped like Zadkiel. In another stand was a girl dressed as Kotori with her astral dress selling toys and games, and in another part was a small stage with cut out of Miku with a banner that said Diva's sing-a-long. There were also other girls cosplaying as the other spirits either handing things out or handling stands. Shido and Aki were beyond words with their jaws hanging wide open as they both said at the same time.

"Spirit day?"

They walked around the stands to see what was going on and the cosplaying girls were pretending to be the spirits. After a few minutes of gathering the absurdity of the situation they noticed that lots of other girls were also dressed as the spirits since they were selling costumes of the astral dresses and matching wigs. Not want to the think more of it they decided to buy some shaved ice from the girl dressed as Yoshino who oddly enough was wearing a hook on her hand and they were tempted to ask about it but decided not to. When they sat down to eat their ice a shock suddenly went down their spines and a familiar voice went through Shido's heads.

" _Hello Shido remember me_?"

Shido immediately recognized the voice as Saori.

" _Saori?"_

" _Hehehe that didn't take long"_

"Where are you?"

" _Like I'd tell you that. I'm here to give you a message from my boss"_

Aki looked at Shido and saw his surprised expression.

"Hey Shido what's wrong?"

Saori told Shido not to let Aki know what's happening so he put on a fake smile.

"Oh nothing Aki just a little brain freeze"

"..Okay"

Aki just goes back to eating his ice while Shido looks around for Saori.

" _You're not going to find me Shido, but I'll give you hint I'm dressed as mom"_

Shido looks for anyone dressed as Kurumi, but then he notices that there are dozens of them.

" _I'd be careful Shido after all don't you think I could kill every man, woman, and child here if I felt like it?"_

Shido doesn't respond to Saori's threat.

" _Do you think I'm lying to you?"_

Shido's heart begins to beat faster and then the sound of gunshot is heard in the background causing him to nearly have a panic attack. But then the sound of cheering is heard, it was a trick. Aki looked at Shido with a worried look.

"Shido it was just a trick what's wrong with you!?"

"Oh it's nothing I just have to use the bathroom"

Aki was growing worried by the second and decided to follow Shido to the bathroom while he continues his mental talk with Saori who was laughing at him.

"Heheheheheh your reaction was better than I expected, you're fun. Anyway my boss wanted me to tell you that Ellen Mira Mathers has come to capture you"

"What?"

"She hasn't arrived yet, but she'll be here soon"

"Why are you helping me?"

"My boss told me to nothing more also he said he's very anxious to meet you soon"

"Who's your boss?"

"Sorry that's a se-cr-et"

"Okay, then how are you doing this I mean the mental thing?"

"Wow you're dumb I can do this because we're connected I am your daughter in a sense"

"If you acknowledge that much then why are you threatening me?"

"Oh Shido it's so easy to mess with you it hurts. But I can't stay much longer so good luck with Ellen."

"Saori!..Saori!"

The voice stops and Shido becomes more worried as a huge question comes to mind.

"Who is it that Saori is working for and why me?"

He decided not to tell Aki since Saori was still nearby and he could feel it. He wouldn't tell anyone until he was sure that there was nobody close by. He also was curious about Colonel Itsuka and why there's a spirit day.


	6. Chapter 6

CH.6 Pendragon Vs Alexander

In the forbidden zone Ellen had arrived at around late noon, her bandersnatches on standby and ready to follow her within the next twelve hours. Her first reaction was to make her way to the city since she could clearly see it. Within only a few minutes and without being seen by the AST, Ellen made it to the city to begin her search for Shido and capture him.

Elsewhere inside the city Shido and Aki continue with the festival and Shido looks around for Saori but is soon convinced that she has left the area or hopefully this time. Shido was breaking into a sweat since while he didn't want to say it, he was heavily afraid of what she was capable of doing. Aki noticed Shido sweating and was getting a little upset that he wasn't saying anything.

"Shido what is up with you, you've been acting weird for last half hour and I know something is up so what is it?"

Shido hadn't realized how much he was sweating and since he was sure that Saori had left he decided to tell Aki what had happened. After Shido explained what had happened with Saori, Aki looked around the area with a concerned look and quietly said.

"That psycho was here!?"

Shido was surprised to hear Aki say that.

"You too Aki?"

"What?"

"Calling Saori a psycho, I mean…"

Shido lowers his head in depression. Aki felt ashamed of his words and apologizes.

"Shido I'm sorry, I didn't really mean it"

"I want to help her like I want to help Kurumi"

Aki taps Shido's shoulder and tries to cheer him up.

"I know you will Shido, I know you better than most people, and after all I am your son in sense"

Shido smiles and raises his head.

"Thanks Aki, I'm glad I have a son like you in a sense"

The two teenage boys decide to have a little fun to lighten the mood and they even sang a duet on the stage. They spent the next couple hours messing around the other booths and this went on until sunset and they decided to meet up with the girls.

Ellen was walking through the city and made her discoveries about DEM's downfall and the AST wizards all over the city, so she decided to lay low while feeling disgusted at this world. She then noticed something in the distance, the old DEM building that Tohka destroyed years ago after going inverse and thinks to herself.

"That looks like a good place to start"

Ellen walked by a café and she was seen by someone a woman eating a piece of strawberry shortcake and drinking coffee. The woman received her check from the waitress and compliments the cake.

"It was delicious tell your baker I am grateful"

"Why thank you miss we appreciate costumers like you"

The woman leaves a generous tip for the waitress and even the baker as she leaves clearly after Ellen. Back where Shido and Aki were, Shido then saw the DEM building in the distance and Aki notices his starring and becomes curious.

"What is it now?"

Shido decided to be completely honest with Aki on this matter since it concerned his mother.

"Well Aki that building holds memories for me and Tohka but I can't say that they're good memories"

This caught Aki's interest.

"Really? Well then I'd like to know more about it if you wouldn't mind"

"I don't mind but didn't your parents tell you anything about what happened?"

Aki shakes his head.

"No, my mom said that they had a unique past, but I think she didn't want to scare me so I don't blame her"

"Really? Then again maybe it was for the best"

Shido started having flashbacks of the more unique memories of Tohka, like when she destroyed a bridge, the time she broke several arcade games, and the time she saw him accidently kiss Yoshino. Then he decides to bring Aki to the building to tell him a little more about the incident at the building when Tohka went inverse, and meet up with the girls a little later.

"Would you like to learn more about her?"

Aki nods his head.

"Sure if you don't mind"

The two boys make their way over to the building while Shido talks about how he and Tohka met and the good times they had together so far. Aki was listening to Shido very closely until they reached the building which was actually open to the public with a plaque at the entrance that read: dedicated to one of the starting points of the terrorists fall. Apparently the building was now a war memorial for some reason. Deciding not pay any more attention to the sign, the two enter the building which was still damaged.

As they walk up the stairs they fail to see Ellen following them. She had decided to keep her movements slow to avoid being detected by the AST. Aki was feeling overwhelmed about the information he was getting but enjoyed learning more about his beloved mother. Eventually, they made their way to the top of the roof and that's when Shido decided to talk about the incident.

"Well Aki I've told about the good times, now I should tell you why this building holds an unpleasant memory"

Aki takes a deep breath since Shido had been building up to this moment and he was a little scared to learn something about Tohka that would be remotely negative or dark.

"Well, it went like this…"

Shido spent some time talking about the time Tohka was kidnaped by DEM and how she went inverse after she saw him get impaled by Ellen. While this was going on, Ellen was making her way the stairs and was beginning to have some thoughts about Shinra. While she was ready to obey Isaac, she wasn't trusting of Shinra and wondered why he needed Shido or what his endgame was. Despite this she willing to go with it due to her loyalty to DEM.

After Shido finished telling Aki the story about everything that went on that day, Aki clenched his fist at DEM for what they did to his parents but moreover he was shocked about what his mom nearly did.

"Wow I didn't think she was capable of that"

Shido quickly responded to his disappointment.

"But it wasn't her fault, she only wanted to help me and they pushed her into it"

Aki looked up at the sky which had turned dark from being late.

"Then I hate DEM"

Shido wasn't surprised to hear Aki say that and didn't oppose his statement since DEM did horrible things to Tohka. As he stared at the sky a voice cuts into their moment.

"If you have problems with us then maybe you'd like to share your complaints with me"

Shido and Aki turned and saw Ellen standing on the roof with a smile. Shido immediately recognized her from their last encounter.

"Ellen?"

Shido wasn't expecting to see Ellen, and Aki asked who she was since Shido was getting nervous.

"Shido who is this woman?"

Shido immediately told Aki who she was which may have been a mistake.

"She's the one that kidnaped Tohka and the one who caused her inversion"

Aki's eyes widened.

"She's..the one..who.."

Aki's body begins to emit a red aura; he was getting angry causing his powers to flux. Ellen simply stood there and stated.

"Shido Itsuka, come with me peacefully and no one will be hurt"

Shido remembered how strong she was and was considering just telling Aki to stand down since Shido was sure that he couldn't beat Ellen. Aki, however, was overcome by anger, entered his spirit form and charged at her with his sword in hand.

"I'll hurt YOU!"

Aki charges at Ellen and leaps into the air for a powerful downward slash and Ellen simply puts up a territory around of him knocking him down, and he grunts with pain from the shock. Shido ran over to check on him out of concern.

"AKI!"

As Shido ran over to him, Aki stood up and dashed at Ellen again hoping to attack her, but she doesn't move at all and instead puts up her territory again. Aki notices this and concentrates on summoning his guardian like he did against Saori, and succeeds in doing so, dispelling Ellen's territory. Aki's guardian resumes its place behind Aki after handing him the sheathed sword as he chooses to dual-wield his two swords together. Ellen becomes interested in Aki's display.

"Hmm now I'm curious"

Ellen unties her hair, equips Pendragon, and pulls out her sword.

"Very well, let's see how strong you actually are"

Ellen extends her arm and gives the "come on" gesture.

Downstairs at the bottom of the building, the woman who was following Ellen hears the fighting on the roof and decides to race to the top the fastest way she knew how.

Back on the roof Aki clashes both of his swords with Ellen, but he's no match for her and he actually was ignorant to a crucial fact, he wasn't ambidextrous and so his left hand couldn't handle one of his swords. Ellen berates him for this.

"Huh, so you didn't know your limitations, how skilled are you exactly?"

Aki just gets angrier at Ellen while Shido simply stands and watches until Aki drops the sword in his left hand and Ellen grabs him by the throat. Shido tries to summon Sandalphon to help a little but for some reason can't and watches Ellen continue to berate Aki for his amateur move.

"You idiot, did you honestly think that someone like you could defeat the world's strongest wizard?"

Aki considers using rending saber like he did against Saori but with Shido not being close enough to run away he decides not to manages to breath out an insult to Ellen.

"At least… I have modesty you arrogant woman"

Ellen tightens her grip on Aki's throat as his guardian fades and his armor disappears.

"My orders from Ike wasn't to spare anyone besides Shido, so you're no concern to me, you should feel honored to be killed by the world's strongest wizard"

Ellen casually tosses Aki over the side of the roof and Shido panics and runs over to the ledge to try to help.

"AKI!"

Ellen puts up another territory to knock Shido down to the ground as Ellen walks over to grab him as she thinks to herself.

"Clearly _Shinra isn't as resourceful as Ike thinks, this was child's play and waste of time for me_ "

As Ellen walks over to Shido and attempts to grab him but is stopped by a territory from out of nowhere and actually this territory caused a great surge of pain that causes Ellen to drop to her knees and a voice says to her.

"If you lay one finger on him, I'll tear off that arm!"

Both Ellen and Shido look where the voice came from and to the shock of both them there was a woman equipped with a realizer hovering near the ledge where Aki was thrown and she looked exactly like Ellen only she had a pink dolphin clip in her hair and a little older, she had Aki in her arms passed out. She looked at Ellen with anger in her eyes and dashed over to Shido, but she looked at him her eyes became gentle and kind. She smiled warmly at Shido as asked.

"Are you alright Shido?"

Shido was confused but nods his head anyway as Ellen look-alike put Aki down next to Shido and gave a sigh of relief.

"I'm glad"

The woman turned her sights back on Ellen and gave her a look of hatred. Ellen got back up on her feet and was impressed with her look-alike and began asking questions.

"I'm impressed no one I know could put up such a powerful territory"

The other woman responded to Ellen's compliment coldly with an insult.

"That doesn't mean a thing coming from a dog"

"Excuse me!?"

"I have no interest in the barking of a dog slapped with a blue ribbon."

Ellen was feeling insulted by those words but didn't show it and instead asked.

"Who are you exactly?"

The woman looked at Shido and again smiled at him with gentle eyes as she answered.

"My name is Ellen Mira Mathers Itsuka"

Both Shido and Ellen's eyes went blank with surprise as time seemed to have stopped while the woman's introduction echoed throughout their minds.

Shido was the first to respond to the older Ellen words and sounds overwhelmed.

"Itsuka as in married as in you and me!?"

The older Ellen turns around and nods her head with her warm smile. Shido still couldn't believe what he had heard but wasn't going deny that clearly she was on his side. The older Ellen hugs Shido and says.

"I'll explain when I defeat this dog and don't worry she won't beat me"

The older Ellen moved towards her younger self as Shido trusts in her words since at this point he was ready to believe just about anything. The two Ellen's engage in conversation before fighting with the younger one talking with her fist clenched at her side.

"Why do you call me a dog?"

"Because you ARE a dog"

"Really because by the looks of things you and I are the same person"

"Not at all, we may be the same person in terms of counterparts but I am far superior to you"

"How so?"

"Because I'm not Ike's pet dog anymore"

Ellen became furious at her older self since she had basically admitted to betraying DEM.

"So you're a traitor, then yes you and I aren't the same but no, I am superior to YOU. I am the world's strongest wizard and you are a disgrace"

The older Ellen looks at Shido and asks with an innocent look.

"Was I really this annoying?"

Shido actually smirked a little since he found that a little funny. The younger Ellen on the other hand charges at her older self but is swiftly blocked by the older Ellen's sword. At first they appear to be equal but the older one manages to push her younger self back and send her flying backward. The younger Ellen is surprised by this since they have the same build and apparently the same realizer and quickly sees that in fact the older Ellen is using a different realizer since the older Ellen's had the Ratatoskr symbol on the left wing.

"That realizer was created by Ratatoskr?"

The older Ellen shrugs with a snicker.

"Quicker than I thought. Yes, this is not Pendragon, I've long disposed of that filthy realizer. This is Alexander and my dear sister-in-law arranged for its creation"

Ellen was also furious that her older self got rid of Pendragon.

"Why would you do that!?"

"Why? It's simple really, I wanted to sever all my ties with Ike and so I did."

Her older self was just making Ellen angrier by the moment and clashes with her again. Furious by this point, Ellen asks her last question to her older self.

"Why would abandon everything for him!?"

The older Ellen smiles as she answers.

"Because I have priorities I must protect, I can show you what those priorities can make me do if you'd care to try"

The younger Ellen tries to push forward, but her older self is too strong. Because the AST is too close around the area, Ellen can't use her more powerful attacks except her territory and she uses it to block a downward slash from her older self. However, as she puts it up her older self-quips mockingly.

"I knew you'd do that"

As the younger Ellen's territory goes up the older one places her own territory inside the other causing her younger self-pain from the shock, causing her to fall back to her knees again. The older Ellen looks down on her younger self and mocks her the same way the she mocked Aki.

" I had a counter ready. You should have known that I'd remember how you fight and that you'd be at a disadvantage against me."

The younger Ellen was trying to stand back, but her older counterparts territory is extremely damaging

"I'm the world's strongest…"

"Oh put to that to rest, fighting is about skill and knowledge, not a title. You have skill, but you didn't know I was using a different realizer, you didn't know that I'd have a counter for your territory, and you didn't know I was stronger than you"

The older Ellen approaches her younger self and the younger Ellen smirks through her pain as she utters.

"And you got so cocky you forgot that I can still move"

The younger Ellen rises up and launches the older Ellen's sword into the air leaving her without a weapon and cuts her hand. The younger Ellen then points her sword at her older counterpart and boasts to her.

"You may be me, but I am the clear superior between the two of us. I'm not a traitor like you, I have my pride, and you have nothing"

"One last thing you didn't know, you should have realized I wouldn't have let go of my sword so easily"

The younger Ellen then realizes what she meant, but it was too late as the older Ellen's sword impales her from the back around her stomach. She looks down to look at her injury and sees the blade sticking out of the front of her body. The older Ellen actually grabs the blunt end and starts pulling more the sword more through her opponent's body causing her to cry out a little from the pain.

Shido sees this and asks the older Ellen to stop with fear in his voice.

"Ellen stop it!"

The older Ellen hears him and stops pulling as she tells her younger self with a mocking tone.

"You're very lucky I love that man"

She lifts up her leg and push kicks the sword out her opponents back, leaving a very small hole where the sword was. The younger Ellen falls to the ground holding her injury. The older Ellen rushes back to Shido and puts her smile back on when facing him and she apologizes to him.

"I'm so sorry you had to see that Shido"

Shido regains his composure and responds to the older Ellen who unequips her realizer revealing herself to be wearing a blue sweater, a knee-length tan skirt, and brown boots, she wore her hair untied and slightly longer than her younger self.

"At least you didn't kill her and thank you for saving my friend"

"Don't mention it I'm just glad your okay"

"By the way, how'd you pull that off?"

"Oh it's simple, when she knocked my sword out of my hand I generated a territory near it and carefully put up more territories to bounce it and then when it was in proper position I bounced it at her without being noticed"

"Then you didn't aim to kill"

Ellen shakes her head.

"No, I don't want to kill anyone in presence, ever"

Aki wakes up and asks what happened but Ellen suggests they leave before the AST shows up and catches them. As they try to leave the younger Ellen stops them before they can go down the stairs by making insults to her older counterpart.

"You can't say you've beaten me, traitor if I used my full power you'd be on the ground instead of me. You only won because I was holding back"

The older Ellen without talking walks over to her younger self and kicks her in the face knocking her flat on her back, and grabs her by the shirt and explains something to her.

"No, I can because you're forgetting that I was holding back and I didn't need to. Let me ask you this, do you know why I'm better than you?"

"…"

"It's because I know how you think and you barely how I think. You didn't think about who you were fighting, you didn't think once that I would have a counter ready, and you didn't know that your cocky attitude would let me defeat you"

The older Ellen lets go of her of her younger self and walks back to Shido and proceed down the stairs with the younger Ellen furious at her older self.

"If you leave now then you forfeit, I haven't lost, and I'm still the world's strongest wizard"

The older Ellen looks at her younger self and shakes her head with disgust and the younger Ellen shouts.

"GET BACK HERE!"

She then passes out on the ground from her injury. Making their way down the stairs the three walk and Shido makes small talk with the Ellen who was actually was much different than her younger self and is actually a gentle woman and Shido was beginning to see how her husband would love her. Aki, on the other hand, was feeling sad because he couldn't even scratch the other Ellen.

" _She beat me so easily. I feel so…useless_ "

Shido looked at Aki and was about to say something when Ellen actually cheered him up by saying.

"Don't feel bad about losing to her. Not many people I know can do it as easily as I did"

Aki felt a little better but still couldn't help but feel useless. Shido was wondering why he couldn't summon Sandalphon to help Aki he begins to theorize it's because Tohka and he are in different times, but that wouldn't make since her powers are inside his body. The two boys think about their own problems, but then they both realize something and shout out at the same time.

"OH CRAP THE GIRLS!"

Elsewhere in the city Akane and Kurumi were sitting in a hotel room they got since luckily Akane and Kurumi both had money on hand. Kurumi was asleep since Akane was supposed to keep an eye out for the boys from a window but decided to watch TV for a little while. She was drinking lots of soda to stay awake and was channel surfing a lot but then something caught her eye, a news report about a rogue DEM wizard being captured. Akane looked at the mugshot of the captured wizard and spit out her soda when she saw that the wizard looked exactly like Mana. Normally Akane would shrug this off but was certain that she was certain this Mana was from Shido's time and not a look-a-like.

"Well this just got freaking perfect"

Akane woke up Kurumi and ran back to the city since Shido needed to know ASAP. Outside in the forbidden zone another portal opened and a group of bandersnatches emerged, ready to capture Shido


	7. Chapter 7

Ch.7 Dark Justice Part One

About a half hour had passed since the boys met this older Ellen who was vastly different compared to the one Shido was familiar with. This one was sweet, caring and had a gorgeous smile compared to her younger arrogant self, and so Shido was compelled to ask.

"So you and me?"

Ellen looked at him and nods her head with a smile.

"Yes and we a have a beautiful little girl."

Ellen reaches into her pocket and pulls out a wallet filled with lots of money, pulls out a photo, and shows it Shido. The photo showed Ellen with a little girl in front of her and Shido standing next to Ellen with his arm around her; in the photo he was wearing an apron over his normal attire and Ellen was wearing a red suit. Ellen explains that she's the president of a gaming company and has turned it into one of the largest and most successful companies in Japan and about what Isaac did to cause her defection from DEM. Shido was moved by her story and asked.

"So all of that over an experiment?"

Ellen cringed a little with the memories of her daughter's birth.

"Yeah and I regret that she was born for that purpose. That's why I gave her to you since you were a much better caregiver than I could ever be"

Shido shakes his head.

"No, I think the way are you are now, that you're a good mom"

Ellen blushes a little.

"That means a lot, and to tell you the truth there are times when I believe that I'm not good enough for you and that you could do a lot better than me"

Shido shakes his head again.

"No way, I bet the me of your time loves you. I mean I couldn't blame him, you're nice, caring, and strong."

Ellen blushes more and hugs Shido.

"Just like my husband, so considerate, one of the many things I love about him."

Aki feels a little awkward listening to the two making nice with each other and even forgot about his defeat earlier. But then Shido asked Ellen if she met a woman in bandages and just like with Kurumi she did and obtained a bracelet to help with the time jumps. However, she also says that the woman in bandages can no longer help them because of the person who's behind everything. This only adds to the questions Shido has since whoever was doing this was intelligent and if Saori was with him then he has to be very powerful.

Back in the base timeline at least a month has passed since Shido and the others went missing and the girls were upset. Miku was locked up in her mansion with the Yamai twins and Yoshino trying to figure out where Shido was. Miku hadn't done a concert in over two weeks since she was too worried about her darling to sing for anyone and the other three were searching for clues around town for anything that could help. Ratatoskr was managing without Kotori, but people were getting tired of Kannazuki's perverse attitude and the fact he was annoying with his search for their commander.

At DEM headquarters, Shinra was becoming impatient with Ellen's progress during her mission and was making his feelings known to Isaac during another private meeting.

"Isaac where is that so-called world's strongest wizard you like to flaunt?"

Isaac raises his shoulders in an "I don't know" position.

"She's probably using her time to make a strategy and you know we have no idea where she ended up. Besides didn't your two subordinates fail?"

Isaac didn't know about Saori as Shinra never told him about her for some reason.

"Yes but at least they were quick about reporting to me Isaac"

"And how's yelling at me going to make anything better?"

Shinra stands up and gives Isaac some parting words.

"Just so you know Isaac I am a very patient man, but I do not tolerate failure from my peers."

Isaac puts on a look of relief.

""Sigh," I thought he was going to yell at me or something"

Shinra went back to his supposedly monitored room and sat on a bed. Isaac called the person in charge of the monitor and they just said that he was lying down. Isaac was becoming more suspicious of Shinra and had a theory of what's under the mask. The truth of the matter is that Shinra's personal guard Kokoro is using some kind of power to cloak everything that Isaac doesn't need to know about, like the presence of his two subordinates, the two who started it all for Shido and his friends. Shinra was chatting with them.

"Geri, Freki I have a mission for you two"

The two bowed to Shinra and both proclaim.

"The two wolves Geri and Freki only live to obey you master"

Shinra liked the respect he received from the two and treated them kindly aside from pretending to hit them.

"Hmm glad to see you two are just as loyal as ever"

The two talked in sync with each other.

"Of course Shinra we do not blame you for our failures and we only beg for forgiveness"

"No need for that. Anyway, I don't trust Ellen to succeed and I want you two to follow Shido and his friends."

"Yes sir"

"You will only attack when giving the command from either Saori or Kokoro in the chance I send her. Also Freki, I have a gift for you."

Freki was the one who attacked the Fraxinus in Akane's time and the one who sent Shido through time originally.

"Thank you master Shinra."

Before Shinra can give his gift to Freki, Kokoro intervenes with sadness in her voice.

"My love, why don't you just send me?"

"Kokoro you have problems holding back and we both know that."

"Please, I only want a fair chance."

Shinra takes a moment to think and nods.

"Fine but you're going to wait until they move again; I don't want you attacking them in that world and I have to maintain appearances since Isaac may be catching on to our game."

Shinra sits up and walks towards the door and thinks.

"I hope Saori delivered my message already; I can't wait much longer. But first I need to find Tohka and the others"

Back in the other timeline, Shido meet up with Akane and Kurumi and had to introduce Ellen to them. After explaining the situation, Akane tells Shido about Mana which surprised him.

"I didn't know Mana was put into this situation too. But wait how do you know that it's not the Mana from this world?"

Akane gives him a "really" look.

"Because I'm not stupid, the fact she looked way too young, and the media thinks she's a DEM terrorist not realizing that the Mana you know isn't with DEM anymore from what you told me."

Shido starts scratching the back of his head.

"Oh yeah."

Ellen adds into the conversation.

"If so then what do we do about it?"

Shido thinks for a moment then remembers something from earlier.

"Okay kids the colonel said he'd like to speak with the four of you tomorrow afternoon"

The words of the wizard that helped escort them to the city and Shido also remembered a citizen saying.

"Colonel Itsuka is such a courageous man I'm glad he's protecting us"

If the colonel is in fact either his son or himself, Shido could ask the colonel about going easier on Mana. It was worth a try so he tells this idea to the others and they agreed, so they go back to the hotel since it was late and they needed to get to sleep.

On the roof of the DEM building where the younger Ellen was, she had woken up and struggled to stand up due to the hole in her stomach. She was heavily upset about losing to a traitor and angrier about her words.

"No, I didn't lose to her..I'm the world's strongest wizard damn it!"

Ellen stumbles her way to the staircase and manages to get down to the next floor. As she tries to get closer to the next staircase, Ellen is startled by laughter and then a voice says.

"World's strongest wizard, what a joke"

Ellen turns her head to see a person coming from the shadows; it was Saori, only Ellen didn't know who she was. Saori was mocking Ellen with a smile.

"You lost to a superior opponent and refuse to accept it; you look like hell and yet still want to fight. In all seriousness you have no chance in hell of winning against her; it would be funny it wasn't so pathetic….then again."

Saori begins to laugh, and Ellen, still frustrated, replies to Saori's insults.

"Do you have any idea who I am?"

Ellen lifts up her hand to put up a territory but Saori warps in front of her and sticks her hand in Ellen's opened wound causing her intense pain and sarcastically quips.

"No, enlighten me"

Ellen cringes as Saori continues her sadistic torture.

"I'm the world's strongest…"

Saori shakes her head.

"No you're not, the world's strongest wizard is colonel Itsuka, at least in this world. From what I heard, he could take you apart like a clock and not flinch. Then again I haven't met him so I have no real opinion."

"Then…What was the…Point of this?"

"Nothing I just love seeing that expression and when your future self gave you a working-class ass kicking, it was priceless; I've never laughed so hard in my life."

"Shut…the hell up!"

"I don't think you're in any position to be talking like that to me."

Saori smiles sadistically as she uses her fingers to mess around with Ellen's innards causing her scream more until she actually passes out from the pain again. Saori then puts on an angry look and slaps Ellen in the face to try to wake her up.

"Don't fall asleep when I'm talking to you!"

Naturally Ellen doesn't snap out of it and Saori just let's her fall to the ground again, and she warps through the shadows to leave and thinks.

" _Did mom ever get this bored when messing with humans? Can't see why Isaac has so much trust in this weakling…oh well, more pain for them means more fun for me I guess. But enough fun I've got to make sure that Mana survives_."

The next morning Shido and the others get ready to meet the colonel and Ellen went off on her own to learn a little more about this timeline since she isn't supposed to meet the colonel. Close to noon a wizard appears before the four and escorts them to the police station. Shido can't help but feel a little weird about this since he had a bad feeling in the bottom of stomach. The entire way to the station no one talked because they were afraid the wizard might overhear them and become suspicious of them. After a few minutes close to noon, they arrive at the station and are told to just walk forward to get to the colonel's office. They do and throughout the halls of the station, instead of seeing blue or black uniforms, the station was crawling with military style soldiers answering calls, filing reports, and even eating donuts with coffee. Upon seeing the door at the far end it was an office that originally belonged to the chief of police and on the exact minute of noon someone opens the door to the office, a young man with medium disheveled white hair, blue eyes, and fair skin. He was taller than Shido, and wore an outfit with a black tunic with a standing collar buttoning down from top-to-bottom; the tunic had gold trim and white cuffs, he had straight black pants that were tucked into knee-high black boots, with a white belt that had the Ratatoskr symbol as a buckle. He was also wearing a large medal below his left shoulder that looked like a shield. He smiled at the group as he introduced himself in a polite manner.

"Hello I am Hiro Itsuka colonel of the AST, and you must be the youngsters that my subordinates caught in the forbidden zone."

Shido was a little relieved that his son was polite in this world and was certain that his mother is Origami judging by his hair color alone. Everyone introduced themselves using fake names to hide their identities from Hiro, who invited them into his office.

"Glad to meet you all, but I'm afraid that you four need a lecture for trespassing but since you're youngsters I'll go easy on the lot of you."

Akane put on a disgruntled look as she asked.

"Um, how old are you colonel?"

"I'm nineteen, why do you ask?"

Everyone was a little surprised, except Kurumi, and Akane responds.

"You're barely older than us and you're already talking like an old man"

"Hehehehe I get that a lot."

When they enter the office, Shido immediately began looking around and was rather impressed when he saw some trophies on display. He also saw some photos of Hiro with his parents and it was Origami and Shido thought to himself.

"So this is what could happen if I end up with her…maybe it's for the best"

Elsewhere in the prison, Mana was locked in a cell somewhere in the prison, covered in injuries with her realizer and powers were sealed.

"I still can't believe what happened"

(Flashback)

Mana had arrived in this time at least two days before Shido and his party arrived. She woke up on the ground, equipped with her realizer, confused and wondering where she was. She thought that maybe she was teleported to a different area like a training ground and called out for people.

"Hello is anyone here?"

After realizing that she was equipped with her realizer, Mana decided to fly to the city which was in sight. However on the way to the city, Mana was attacked by a couple of AST wizards, who shot at her and was startled by this.

"Hey, why are you attacking me!?"

The wizards continue their assault, and Mana begrudgingly fights back and defeats the wizards with ease. She didn't like fighting them and apologized, but then someone else showed and challenged her.

"You may have defeated my comrade, but you will not defeat me, DEM wizard!"

Mana turned to see a most unusual wizard, the voice was male, and his realizer made him resemble a cybernetic knight than a human. His realizer covered his entire body in a smooth silver coat of metal with blue neon lines surging around his body resembling markings, he had a face plate and helmet which resembled a kendo mask but his face couldn't be seen, and the part of his chest where his heart was had a glowing blue orb that had the Ratotoskr symbol on the center, and the strange thing was it pulsed like a real heart. His weapon was a pair of dual blades that he held in a backhanded fashion. Mana tried to reason with him.

"I'm not with DEM so please stop this"

"I don't believe you, you're using a DEM made realizer so don't try that lie with me"

The wizard charges energy into his dual blades and launches two energy waves from them.

Mana puts up a territory to block, but the two waves completely obliterate her territory, completely surprising her.

"No way!"

The unknown wizard zips towards her and they begin clashing swords, but Mana is at a disadvantage due to her opponents speed. His movements were quick and precise, Mana could barely block him and attempts use her magic and territories, none of which works on this person. After nearing exhaustion from repeated failures, Mana starts panting and her opponent compliments her.

"For a DEM wizard, you're very strong, and if I wasn't an anti-wizard soldier you may have had a chance. To honor your skill, I'll finish this with my most powerful attack."

"Anti-wizard soldier?"

"Now…"

Mana puts up her guard as the wizards blue orb begins to glow brightly.

"Burn this life to punish my enemy!"

The wizard raises his arm to the sky and unleashes a tower of energy and Mana is caught in it and gets lifted into the sky and when it fades she falls upside down and sees the wizard clutching his chest and as he begins to reveal his chest again he shouts the name of this attack.

"BLAST HEART!"

He reveals the orb again and an explosion of energy rips through the air causing Mana great pain as multiple streaks from the blast hit her causing her to fall to the ground unconscious. When she woke up later, she was in a dark room and tied to a chair with a woman, who had cold eyes, interrogating her about a group of DEM wizards that are hiding somewhere, and Mana couldn't equip her realizer. They were convinced that Mana is one of their members and possibly their leader but Mana keeps telling them she knows nothing, and after a few hours of interrogation she is thrown in a cell. She was then told that she would be executed after the ceremony, which didn't understand, so she now waits somewhat afraid of being killed without knowing where her brother was.

Back in the colonel's office, Hiro was just finishing his lecture to the group.

"And that's why youngsters shouldn't go into the forbidden zone. So do you four have any questions before I send you off?"

Aki raises his hand.

"Yeah I've got one, why is there a spirit festival?"

"Ah good question, and the answer is its a day to honor the spirits who were some of the greatest heroes in the war."

Shido wasn't happy to hear that the spirits fought in the war. Then Kurumi raises her hand.

"And is that why Miss Tokisaki is nearly blind?"

Akane raises her hand as well.

"Is that also the reason Yoshino has a limp?"

Hiro puts on a confused look and scratches the back of his head.

"I don't know how they came into this conversation, but I'd rather leave them out."

Apparently the AST never told anyone what the spirit's names were, probably to protect their privacy. Shido began to have terrifying images of Yoshino without her leg and wonders about the other spirits in this time. Then Hiro continues to talk about the spirits.

"Yes, the spirits used to be viewed as monsters by the AST as you know, but then Ratatoskr convinced them that the spirits were angels sent from heaven to help in our time of need. I do not take credit for the spirit's kindness to the people the city, and we hold a spirit festival once a year, but since this was the first year we had a slow start."

Out of concern, Shido asks.

"So did any of the spirits get hurt?"

Shido's heart was beating faster as Hiro explained with his eyes closed.

"Well we did lose Princess, and one-half of Yamai."

Shido and Aki's hearts sank as Hiro just admitted that the Tohka and one of the Yamai twins are dead. Hiro also added.

"If you would like to see the graves to pay respects I can give you the address."

Shido nods his head and Aki looks mortified. Akane had her fist clenched and Kurumi just stands and looks around the room and sees a photo of Hiro and a group of people with a label that read "Special Forces unit 0" and she counts thirty people. While Hiro is writing down an address, Kurumi uses the opportunity to use Yud on the photo; luckily Hiro was used to hearing gunshots apparently. Kurumi had a mischievous look as she thought to herself.

" _I see, guess the colonel isn't as saintly as he looks_."

Once Hiro gives the address, he sends the group off and Shido was so horrified by the news of this world's Tohka's death that he forgot to ask Hiro about Mana. Once they got the address of the grave, the group leaves the office and by the time they get out of the station and Shido was pissed at himself for forgetting about Mana, but decided that she wasn't really in any danger yet. He considered asking Aki to accompany him but he noticed that Aki was shivering, apparently the thought of Tohka being dead made him panic. Ellen wasn't around, Akane went off on her own for a little bit saying she was curious about something, and so Shido was left with asking Kurumi. He gently asked her.

"Kurumi would you please go with me; I don't want to go alone."

Kurumi had her usual smile as she answered.

"A grave isn't exactly an ideal spot for a date Shido."

"Kurumi please."

Kurumi nods her head since she didn't have anything else to do. As they walk through the city, Shido decides to talk to Kurumi about the last time they were in.

"So back in the last world, how did you know about Saori?"

Kurumi casually answers.

"The woman in bandages said her name, so I told the others when I met them."

Suddenly the mystery revolving around this woman in bandages is becoming more pressing. But not wanting to change the subject, Shido continued to talk about last timeline.

"Anyway, that means you didn't meet your counterpart in the world right?"

"No"

"Well in case you didn't notice, Saori is our daughter in that time."

Kurumi puts on a mischievous smile with a blush.

"What are you implying Shido. Are you saying you want to make a baby with me?"

Shido 's turns bright red and he becomes flustered.

"Well to be honest I…Wait that's not the point!"

Shido takes a few deep breaths and becomes serious again.

"What I'm trying to say is, I want to save her and I need your help to do it."

"Why do you care so much? She's probably not even going to be born in our time."

"Because she's still our child in manner of speaking, so she might listen to us."

"Shido if she's anything like me then you're wasting your time."

Shido shakes his head with a serious look.

"Just the fact she even exists tells me that's not true Kurumi. I will save her and I'll save you too."

Kurumi doesn't respond, she just keeps walking with Shido until they arrive at the address. It was a cemetery dedicated to the fallen heroes. Shido began passing by the tombstones until two catch his eye because they had statues on them, one of Tohka, and another of Yuzuru. It was then Shido began to feel a tight feeling in his chest by just seeing these statues knowing that they were graves. He saw someone placing a bouquet of flowers in front of Tohka's statue; from behind it looked like origami but, of course, older. Her hair was longer and she was wearing a simple pink dress, and she also had a baby carrier with her, and inside was a sleeping baby with blue hair covered with a white blanket. Much to Shido's surprise, Origami was actually praying for Tohka and he could barely hear a few words that sounded like words of comfort. Shido got a curious and was tempted to talk with her, but decided not to. He was about to leave her, but she turned around and looked at him with a shocked look on her face.

Back in the city, Ellen was doing research on the laws of this world in an internet café and discovered something unsettling. Normally DEM wizards are executed on the spot, but Mana was being kept alive despite being accused of one. This information made Ellen come to the conclusion that she was being pumped for information and will be executed soon, so she immediately left to find Shido to tell him what she learned.


	8. Chapter 8

Ch.8 Dark Justice Part Two

At the cemetery, Shido, and the adult Origami are staring at each other. Shido was a little nervous but managed to talk with her normally.

"Hello, I'm sorry if I disturbed you."

Origami shook her head and put a small smile on.

"No, it's me who should apologize. It's just that you kind of look like my husband."

Shido started scratching the back of his head.

"Hehe, I get that a lot. More than you'd realize"

Origami looked at Kurumi and gives a suspicious look, but then smiles again.

"So are you two here to see anyone in particular?"

Shido looks down at the ground and says in a sad tone.

"I wanted to see if it was true…that Toh I mean princess is gone."

Origami puts on a sad look.

"Yeah…she died protecting me."

Shido's eyes widened at those words and Origami talks fondly of Tohka.

"She was a great person and she gave her life for me and this little one here."

Origami puts her hand into the carrier and starts rubbing the baby's head and starts to tear up.

"I'll never forget what she did for us and I wish that she was still here with us. My husband, in particular, cared for her and was beyond devastated."

Shido himself begins to tear up and can't imagine what this world's Shido went through. After some more time, Origami leaves with a smile and says she needs to get home to her husband. Kurumi then tries to cheer Shido up since he was still upset.

"Shido, this isn't the Tohka that you know, but we will find her."

"I know, but it's just hard to accept in any time. I don't want to see this in any way and the idea of what the me of this time had to go through, the pain he must have felt, and also losing Yuzuru. I can't imagine how Kaguya dealt with that if at all."

Shido then walks closer to the grave and inspects the engraving written on a gold plate and attached to the statue's pedestal. It read: Here lies the spirit Princess, one of the spirits that descended from the heavens to aid us in our time of need. A hero who fought with everything and never gave up; She has been reunited with the angels and hopefully watches us from the sky, and our love for her will last forever. Shido then felt happy that at least she was loved by everybody at the end. He couldn't read the one on Yuzuru's since reading Tohka's was hard enough, and afterward he and Kurumi left the cemetery.

Elsewhere, Akane had been learning more about the spirits of this time. Apparently Kaguya become a voice actress, Miku continues to perform despite being in her thirties, and Kotori was still in charge of Ratatoskr which now has essentially become DEM but without the corruption. Akane wasn't upset with that but felt uneasy about two spirits being dead since she joined Ratatoskr to help spirits.

Ellen was gathering the others and ran into Aki first. He was still shaken from hearing about this world's Tohka being dead. So when Ellen saw this, she got him to sit down on a bench to talk with him before moving on, but first she went into a small store and got a couple of drinks for the two of them. She gets him to take a few sips and then begins talking in a comforting tone.

"Do you feel a little better?"

Aki takes a few breaths and calms down a little but still has an uneasy look.

"Yeah, thanks a lot Ellen. I don't know why I can't get over this. I mean I know she isn't my mom, and I'm sixteen."

Ellen shakes her head with her eyes closed and a smile.

"No, it's only human to care for your mother no matter what version it is. That's the reason I came to help because I love my husband and will protect any version of him no matter what. Your age doesn't matter either because you'll always love her; that's called unconditional love."

Aki begins to smile again and finishes his drink with Ellen.

"Thanks, Ellen."

Ellen smiles back and tells Aki about the situation and then they leave to find the others before it's too late. They meet up with Akane and then they look for Shido and Kurumi. They meet up with them and explain the situation, but Shido has a different idea since Hiro has status and maybe he can be reasoned with.

"If we explain what happened to Hiro, then maybe he'll help us."

Shido's plan does have reason in it, but Kurumi interjects with a disturbing fact.

"But he's the reason the death penalty for DEM wizards exist, and he's the one who arrested here. He's also quite merciless towards people affiliated with DEM."

Shido's eyes widen and he becomes confused.

"Wait what!?"

"I found out when I used my powers on one of the photos in his office. He's also the reason why DEM wizards are killed upon capture."

Shido becomes erratic and at the thought that his own son would be for killing people.

"No way, I refuse to accept that!"

Akane points out a fact that he doesn't want to acknowledge.

"Shido…he is Origami's son not just yours and last I checked she did nearly kill you once, and she tried to kill my mom."

Shido still refuses.

"But even then….."

Shido puts on a sad look. Just like Saori, he was dealing with another one of his kids who was okay with killing.

"I want my kids to value life and not be okay with killing."

Ellen interjects and tries to cheer him up.

"Shido, Hiro is an adult and even if you beat into his head to value life or just act like a saint, his perspective and his actions are his own based on his experiences, choices, and attitude. It's not entirely based on whether or not you are a good father. But never forget that you're an amazing person in our eyes and I have no doubts that you are a good father in this time; just like in mine."

Shido puts on a serious look and decides to ask Hiro anyway just to give it a chance. Ellen agrees to give him his chance since she trusts him so much. The others are indifferent about this decision so long as they save Mana, except Kurumi who just sticks with the group. The main problem is getting to Mana in the event that Hiro doesn't listen since she's probably being guarded by the AST. Ellen suggests that Shido, Akane, and Aki go back to the police station and hopefully get another meeting with Hiro while Ellen and Kurumi try to sneak in using Kurumi's shadow powers. Aki, on the other hand, wants to join Ellen and Kurumi.

"I want to help with the fighting."

Ellen shakes her head.

"No Aki, its best if we keep the attack team as small as possible and with our strongest fighters."

Aki clenches his fist and Akane taps his shoulder since she agrees with Ellen.

"Ellen and Kurumi are the strongest among us and I'm not going to argue with her."

Aki doesn't back and keeps insisting.

"No, I want to help with the fighting if it comes to it."

After a few more minutes of complaining, Aki is allowed to join Ellen and Kurumi with Shido and Akane being the only ones to try to talk to Hiro again. Once everyone gets ready, they go to their respective points and wait for word from either Shido or Akane. The duo went inside the police station and Shido talks to a woman at the desk in a polite tone.

"Uh excuse me, ma'am, we'd like to talk with colonel Itsuka again if that's okay?"

The woman looks through her book on the counter and says also with a polite.

"I'm afraid he's busy for the rest of the day, but if you can wait a we…"

Before the woman can finish her sentence, Hiro pokes his head through his office and sees Shido and Akane and then waves to them.

"Hey, it's the youngsters from earlier, Marie I'll take care of them."

The woman closes her book and tells the two to go inside his office. Inside the office, Hiro sat behind his desk filling out paperwork while talking with the two.

"So why did you two come back?"

Shido was gathering his thoughts and he was ready to explain to Hiro the situation, no matter how absurd it sounded, but it seemed like the best way to help Mana at this point. Despite the fact that Shido himself thought what he was explaining sounds insane, Hiro kept listening with intrigue in his face. After finishing his explanation, Shido then asks the main question to Hiro.

"So please, will you help us?"

Hiro had his head on top of his hands as he gathers his own thoughts and asks with a serious look.

"So if I am to understand correctly, you are saying that you are my father but from a different past?"

Shido nods his head as Hiro continues his questioning.

"And that the DEM wizard I captured is actually Mana Takamiya, my aunt?"

Shido continues to nod his head, but then Hiro begins to shake his hands together in anger as he says.

"Did you really think I'd buy that balderdash!?"

Shido shakes his head and gets worry in his voice.

"I know it sounds crazy, but it's the truth."

"How dare you pretend to be my father, and how dare you bring my aunt Mana into this!"

Hiro leaps from behind his desk, and attacks Shido with a short blade that he held backhanded, but Akane blocks it with her sword and tells Shido.

"The plans a bust go tell the others!"

Shido becomes worried and tells Akane.

"But I can't leave you here alone to fight him!"

Shido didn't want to see his kids fight each other regardless of the circumstances, but Akane tells him.

"GO! I'll handle this creep."

Akane turns into her spirit form and propels herself towards Hiro, who unsheathes a second blade from his side, and hurdles herself and Hiro out a window. Shido, not wanting to wait, runs out the door to tell the others to go to plan B. In the streets outside the station, Akane and Hiro were having a stare down with Hiro opening with slight anger in his voice.

"I know you're with DEM."

"How can you even say that when I'm clearly not using a realizer."

"I know DEM and the extremes they take. You and the other animals in that organization…"

"Oh just shut up I hate DEM and so do most of my friends."

"LIES ALL LIES!"

Hiro charges at Akane with his dual blades, but she puts up a wall of blue flames to guard herself. Hiro backflips out of the way of the flames and a number of wizards fly to the area to help him. They all prepare to attack Akane with everything but Hiro orders them to withdraw.

"There are others hiding somewhere. Find them and I'll handle this one myself!"

Akane feels a little relieved that she doesn't have to fight the entire AST but feels bad that the others won't as fortunate. Speaking of which, Shido managed to get back to the others, but they were already fighting the AST wizards outside the station, which was now nearly empty. Ellen sees him and while he can't hear her, he can read her lips which said.

"Don't come here."

Shido wanted to help and tried once again to summon Tohka's Sandalphon, but it won't appear making him panic a little bit.

"Why, why when I need you the most!"

Shido becomes more worried since they are heavily outnumbered and Kurumi may have to summon Zafkiel to handle things which may cause problems. He attempts to leave the station to try to help in any way her can, but someone grabs him from behind and covers his mouth with their hand. The person talks to him in a quiet tone.

"Don't do anything stupid you idiot."

Shido turns his head and sees Saori standing behind him with an angry look on her face. Back to the fight between Akane and Hiro, Akane launches fireballs at Hiro while he manages to dodge them but barely. Akane gets angrier as he dodges.

"Hold still you creep!"

Akane then charges up a fireball and waits a moment, Hiro just stands by and waits for the fire to come. Luckily, Hiro doesn't know about her charged fireballs and the moment Akane launches it, Hiro notices that he can't dodge this attack and instead growls under his breath as he crosses his arms to shield himself. The fireball hits Hiro and Akane smiles a little and waits for the cloud to disappear but when it begins to disappear, Hiro isn't standing there anymore and Akane becomes shocked.

"Where'd he go!?"

Akane tries to turn her head and times just seems to slow down as she turns since Hiro was standing behind her and slashes her across the back in an X shape cutting her from behind. The slash draws out a lot of blood seemingly critically injuring Akane as she falls to the ground. Upon landing on the ground, Akane immediately tries to stand up but can't or even talk; Hiro looks down at her and his hands, forearms, shins, and feet are now covered with fitting silver metal armor with light blue lines resembling energy surging through them. Akane, unable to talk, can only listen to Hiro talk to her with a very threatening tone.

"I didn't kill because I know that you know where the others are, and I need to keep you alive. But I am curious about your powers, never before have I seen a DEM dog use powers similar to the spirits before."

"….."

"Oh that's right I severed your spinal cord, but don't worry we amazing medical equipment and we'll make sure you can talk very clearly."

Akane begins to smile a little as her body begins to heal itself with Kotori's power of healing. Hiro notices this and becomes shocked.

"How? That power belongs to Efreet."

Akane begins to stand up with her injuries healed and she smirks.

"How? It's easy because I am the flame empress Akane Itsuka, commander of Ratatoskr, and daughter of Shido and Kotori Itsuka. My flames are the will of my mother and the compassion of my father and it won't lose to the likes of you!"

Hiro puts on a more determined look and raises his blades.

"I'm entertaining your lies DEM vermin."

Inside the police station, Saori keeps her hand on Shido's mouth and talks to him in a normal tone.

"Are you forgetting that Mana is inside this station?"

Shido hadn't realized it due to the chaos outside, but the station was practically empty and now he could probably save her. Saori snickers as she also points out.

"But there are a couple of wizards guarding the cell and I'm the only one who can help you right now."

Saori takes her hand off Shido's mouth and Shido's expression becomes less serious.

"So are you saying you'll help me?"

Saori puts on a mischievous smile as she says.

"Of course, but only this once since it's my job."

Shido's questions were only piling up.

"Your job?"

Saori puts on a cute smile with her finger on her lips.

"But, it's a se-cret."

Shido just puts on an "of course look" and lets Saori help him since he has little choice at this point. Ellen, Kurumi, and Aki were still holding off the AST without killing anybody, but Aki couldn't keep up with the two girls, and then the AST wizards all get calls at the same time and then, in uniform formation, they leave towards the edge of the city. The three then take a moment to catch their breath and they attempt to enter the station again, but then stopped by a metal whip whipping in front of them and voice saying.

"That's as far as you go."

They look up and see someone floating above them wearing a unique realizer. It was a woman who had long black hair, and had metal covering all but her head and midriff in a form fitting fashion; the metal was yellow with black energy lines, but a unique feature the woman had was the yellow orb which was placed where her left eye should be, and it had the Ratatoskr symbol on it.

Back to Akane's fight with Hiro, Akane charges at him with Burning Phoenix and manages to hit him with it and immediately follows with a new attack; she leaps into the air, with Hiro still close, wreathed in blue flames.

"O noble conflagration…"

Akane then streaks towards the ground with Hiro following her caught in the blue flames and lands on the ground creating a small shockwave of fire.

"Incinerate all!"

Akane then begins gathering flames in her body and shoots into the sky coated with flames that create the image of a phoenix ascending into the sky.

"RAZING PHOENIX!"

Akane's attack clearly harms Hiro since as he lands his shirt has been nearly burned all the way off revealing a blue orb on his chest where his heart is. He was also covered in burn marks and had an irritated look on his face.

"You know I was really hoping I wouldn't have to use this on anyone else since I felt bad enough using it on that wizard, but it looks like I have no choice."

The orb begins glowing and a series of wires begin to crawl from it and cover all of Hiro's body completing the armor already adorned on his legs and arms. Akane gasps and asks with shock in her voice.

"What is that thing?"

With his face now covered by a metal mask, Hiro's expression can't be determined but his words are very clear.

"This is my mana eater, the most deadly weapon against wizards and DEM."

Akane becomes confused by that term.

"Mana eater?"

""Sigh" Mana eaters are weapons that consume mana and convert it to power. They also evolve when they eat the user's mana and become the bane of any wizard's existence. I hate having to explain this to DEM scum."

Akane's surprised look disappears and she smiles a little more devilishly.

"An anti-wizard weapon huh. Not like it matters to me since I'm not a wizard."

"I noticed, but this weapon also increases my parameters and your fellow DEM trash is probably dealing with Odin right now."

"Odin?"

"Odin is strong and she'll take care of your allies."

Back on the other side of the station, Ellen, Kurumi, and Aki were fighting with the woman codenamed Odin. She was using eight metal serrated whips extending from her two hands. Ellen tries to put up a barrier, but four of the whips tear through it and slash Ellen across the stomach leaving four slash marks.

"So territory doesn't work on her."

Aki summons his guardian and once again tries to dual wield the two swords and tightens the grip on the sword in his left hand and charges with his guardian holding onto him. He manages to hold onto both swords while swinging at Odin, but her whips deflect his attacks making him frustrated, so much so that he began to charge energy into his thin sword and drops the large one. Everyone fighting sees this and immediately sets up a defense; Kurumi gets out of range, Ellen sets up a territory, and no one sees what Odin does. Aki raises his sword to the sky creating the glyph and releasing the pillar of energy.

"Annihilation!"

Aki then drives his sword into the ground unleashing the second massive pillar of energy.

"RENDING SABER!"

Everyone feels the tremor from the release of energy and Aki hopes that it was enough to finish Odin. Unfortunately, when Aki looks up into the sky to see the damage, all he can see is a sphere made of the metal whips covered with scratch marks and undoes itself revealing an unharmed Odin. Aki was shocked beyond belief, his best attack failed completely.

"No way!"

He tries to grab his other sword and dual wield again, but both his swords and his armor disappear since he used all of his energy with that last attack and falls to his knees. Odin lowers herself to the ground to finish Aki off with her whips but is immediately attacked from behind by Ellen who cuts off two of her whips with her sword. Ellen's territory protected her from Aki's rending saber. Kurumi rejoins the fray with a bunch of her past selves all firing at once, Odin attempts to guard but with some of her whips gone she can't deflect all of the bullets and is shot three times in the side and also falls to her knees. Unlike Aki, Odin stands up quickly and gathers her whips to form a flowing barrier around her body by constantly moving with her whips following the flow as she proclaims.

"Sleipnir stance."

Back inside the police station, Shido was walking down a long stairway with Saori, who was holding her two swords in her hands ready to fight at any moment. Shido was determined not only to free Mana, but also help Saori. Shido hadn't really paid any attention before, but he was curious about Saori's two swords since Kurumi never used a sword before.

"Hey Saori, why do you use those swords?"

Saori was putting on an innocent act at this time which Shido knew was a hoax but went with it.

"Oh, these things? They were a gift from my boss for helping him."

"Saori, who are you working for and why?"

Saori chuckles a little.

"That's a se-cret."

Shido gets frustrated at this point and raises his voice a little.

"Saori this isn't a game, so please let me help you!"

Saori points one of her swords at Shido and maintains her innocent smile.

"When a girl says it's a secret she means it Shido. But I'll tell why at least; the answer is because I love having power and I love being top dog."

"So that's what you're getting out of this, power?"

"Yes, I'll do anything for it; I'll even steal it from my siblings as you saw."

Shido then thinks of something that he noticed in her words.

"I don't believe you'll do anything for power."

"Excuse me?"

"Saori correct me if I'm wrong but aren't you missing two of the twelve bullets?"

"Yes, what of it?"

"And your mom is pregnant with your sixth sibling and you knew before anyone else."

"Yeah, again what of it?"

"Saori, I think that if you would truly do anything for power then you'd already have all twelve bullets. Because if you wanted that power at all costs then you would have taken that power from your unborn sibling, but you didn't want to hurt it or your mom did you?"

Saori clenches her sword, lowers it and continues walking without talking. Shido was now sure what he said was the truth and renewed his hope of helping her.

"Saori, you love your mom don't you? And I'm willing to bet you love your dad too."

Saori refuses to talk as she continues to walk and Shido doesn't bother her anymore because he knows without a doubt that there is a chance. Back to Akane's fight with Hiro, Akane was having extreme difficulties fighting with Hiro's transformed state since he was much more powerful than a wizard. He's faster, stronger, and more precise than any wizard she'd seen before. Hiro charges energy into his dual blades and launches two slash waves at Akane, hitting her and knocking her on the ground. Luckily, her healing power kicked in and healed the slash injuries but the inner bruising is a different story; Akane feel to the ground on her stomach winded from being hit with the two slash waves. Hiro had taken a little damage but not much, and he walks over to Akane thinking he'd finally beaten her.

"You made this much more difficult than it needed to be."

Akane, despite being on the ground winded, talked to Hiro with slight anger in her voice.

"Why did you let Tohka and Yuzuru die?"

"How do you…It doesn't matter I bet those DEM renegades told you."

"Tell me."

"I didn't plan for it. We were in a war and we needed all the help we could get and the spirits were willing to help. In war people die, sacrifice is the price of justice.

"Justice? You say it was done for justice!?"

"Of course, justice isn't some white light that can make everyone happy. No, justice is dark and can only be obtained when you enforce rules and discipline, and when you eliminate anything as corrupt as DEM. My mom and dad taught me that life is precious and taking it isn't right, but I had no choice, I had to kill so many people to make this city the paradise that it is now."

Akane began to remember that she did see tons of people in the city very happy with their lives, but then she remembered the memorial at the museum.

"What about the people who lost family in that war, what about them?"

"I told you that in war people die, it's a simple fact. People mourn, they move on, and life goes on. Ratatoskr thought that saving spirits were enough, but they didn't once think that DEM needed to be destroyed and that the spirits were actually the best people to do it."

"You actually asked the spirits to fight? Even though you knew what could happen?"

"Yes, I did. I did it for my parents, my sister and brother, and of course for my dad's sister."

Akane then begins to wonder if she would do the same if it meant her parents would be safer, but then her flames begin to turn from blue to red and he eyes begin to glow.

"Oh no, not now! Don't lose control, don't lose control!"

As her flames almost turn Akane begins to panic in her mind as her body begins to stand up now completely out of her control and her body begins talking without thinking.

"Sounds like you know war…I like that."

Hiro reassumes his stance.

"So now your true colors are showing."

"Oh I am NOT a DEM dog, but I love a good fight."

Akane drops her sword and starts shooting fireballs rapidly from her fists at Hiro which he blocks with difficulty but blocks them none the less. Inside her trapped mind, Akane begins having memories of times she spent with her parents. One moment in particular that came to her mind was her eighth birthday when she and her parents went to Danny's. She was offered to go somewhere expensive, but she really wanted to have a deluxe kid's plate for her dinner that day and Kotori, despite being 26 at the time, ordered one with Akane and after dinner, Shido made Akane a cake. Another memory was the family outing at the amusement park and they went on the roller coaster which Kotori was scared to ride especially when it came to the downward launch.

"Is it too late to stop?"

Both Shido and Akane, who was thirteen at the time, both said at the same time.

"Oh yes, it is."

The next memory was the day Akane became the new commander of Ratatoskr and Kotori looked so proud when she handed her daughter the uniform she used to wear. That day Kannazuki said something stupid, so Kotori and Akane kicked him in the chest at the same time which he actually enjoyed. These memories made Akane remember that while she did love her mom and dad with all her heart and that she will never forget the purpose of Ratatoskr and that she, her mom, and especially her dad care deeply for the spirits and becomes disgusted with idea of letting spirits fight.

"Letting any spirit die would make me a disgrace. I joined Ratatoskr to help spirits no matter what and letting myself be controlled by my own power is a joke. I can't lose control anymore!"

A glyph appears behind Akane as an image of her mother smiling at her saying how proud she was, and just like with Saori and Aki, a girl emerges from the glyph cloaked in flames wearing a light red dress that faded into white at the top. The girl resembled an older Kotori without her ribbons and her first reaction is to smack Akane on the back of her head snapping her out of her loss of control.

"Ow, that hurt!"

Akane turned to see her guardian floating behind her giving a proud smile to her and Akane smiled at the guardian.

"Awesome I have a guardian now!"

Hiro sees the guardian and its resemblance to Kotori, but he denies the notion that maybe she was telling him the truth the whole time.

"Even now you'll keep up the farce…no matter; I'll beat you no matter what!"

The guardian behind Akane assumes the normal guardian position by embracing Akane from behind once again creating the image of a mother embracing her child, and Akane is ready to fight again. But this time her flames are red and more intense.

"Well, then I guess it's a date…Hope you don't mind a chaperone!"

The two charge at each other ready to fight again.


	9. Chapter 9

Ch.9 Dark Justice Part 3

Near the DEM prison section of the police station, Shido and Saori are walking passed various empty cells and Shido feels uneasy since this place is intended for DEM wizards only. Saori, however, has a grin on her face as she tells Shido.

"You know this place has housed fifty-six DEM wizards in total and all of them dead. I wonder how they do it, lethal injection, hanging, electrocution, ooh maybe the guillotine, or maybe…"

Shido gets upset with Saori, stops moving, and shouts.

"Stop it!"

Saori reacts with little to no emotion.

"My my no need to get testy."

Shido has great concern in his voice just from thinking about Saori's sick way of thinking.

"How can you talk like that? I mean don't you realize that they are human just like us. It doesn't matter who they work for; they have the right to live."

Saori continues to walk and with happiness in her voice she explains.

"Shido, you really don't get it do you?"

"Get what?"

""Sigh" I don't see any reason to tell you yet. Besides we're here."

Shido and Saori stop in front of a pair of wizards wearing standard equipment guardian a door, and Shido tells Saori in a worried tone.

"Please don't kill them."

Saori, still having her mischievous air, responds.

"Don't worry, I can be a good girl every once in a while."

Saori assumes a stance with her two swords and prepares to fight the two wizards. Back outside, Kurumi and Ellen are trying to figure out what Odin is up to since she hasn't moved since she started her Sleipnir Stance and Aki can only sit and watch the fight since his power is drained from using Rending Saber. Kurumi sends one of her past selves to see what will happen if they get too close, and as soon as she gets about three feet away from Odin, Odin unleashes her six whips with blinding speed and impales the past Kurumi with all her whips making neat holes with each stab and she shouts.

"Gungnir!"

The Kurumi falls dead instantly and then Ellen notices from above that Odin only aimed for vital spots. Odin explains to Kurumi and Ellen how her Sleipnir Stance works.

"I use the motion of my whips to create a barrier around my body to deflect projectiles, and using my all seeing eye of Odin (her glowing yellow orb on her face where her eye should be) I detect when my enemies get within the range of my Gungnir; then I unleash my whips and aim for eight vital areas. this attack is designed to kill or cripple my enemies instantly."

Despite hearing eight spots, both Ellen and Kurumi notice that only six holes on the dead Kurumi implying that Odin needs all eight whips to fully use Gungnir. Ellen has an idea and nods to Kurumi who seems to understand what she's suggesting, and sends her other four past selves at Odin, who uses her whips on them immediately and Ellen uses her small opportunity to attack and sever four more of Odin's whips with her sword leaving Odin with only two whips left. Odin doesn't lose her composure and ends her stance to fight with Ellen and Kurumi with only two whips. Kurumi dashes up to Odin and starts attacking her by swinging her flintlock pistol and musket as bludgeoning weapons instead of firing bullets, and Ellen attacks with her sword. Impressively, Odin manages to keep up with the two of them by using her two remaining whips to deflect their attacks and Ellen can't sever them while they're moving so fast, but no one can actually land an attack.

On the other side of the station, Akane and Hiro's fight has reached close to the end with the both of them at their limits due to the injuries they've already sustained. Akane's power has greatly increased with her guardian awakened and Hiro is still convinced that she is working for DEM. Akane gathers flames into her legs and makes them intense as she charges them up. She has a serious smile as she tells Hiro.

"You know, when you take a girl on a date you should really bring her candies and flowers. Good thing I brought my own!…Phoenix Dance…"

Akane then slightly leaps into the air and does a double spin kick unleashing the flames from her two legs as two streaks of fire and shouts.

"Twin Lotus!"

The two streaks of fire darts at Hiro but he manages to dodge one by backflipping out of the way and is knocked backwards by the second streak of flame, shooting him into a nearby building that had been evacuated due to the fight being so close to the station. Akane follows him through the hole of the building which is a café and tells him off for attacking Shido.

"Even if we were with DEM, why did attack an unarmed man!? Shido was defenseless."

Hiro emerges from a pile of rubble and attacks again with his dual blades while Akane dodges since she put her sword down a little bit ago and can't block. Hiro tries to justify his actions by saying with a serious tone.

"DEM needs to be eradicated from this world at all costs. Honor has no place when the people of this city are in danger again!"

Akane and Hiro continue their attack and dodge duet as Akane continues to tell him off.

"I agree that DEM needs to be stopped, but the ends don't justify the means. Attacking defenseless people isn't the way to do it."

"DEM trash is DEM trash and doesn't deserve mercy from anyone especially the AST."

"Funny, I thought the AST stood for the Anti-Spirit Team, not Anti-DEM Team. Then again I've never really been too fond of the AST either. I care for spirits and two dead is something that I can't forgive."

"At least the AST wants to save people!"

"Even if you kill innocent people!? How would your dad react to that? Didn't he teach that killing is beyond wrong and that he hates hearing people say they're used to it."

Hiro charges energy into his dual blades and fires them at Akane but this time she puts up a defense in the form of a giant bellflower made of flames and shouts.

"Phoenix Dance Aegis Campanula!"

Behind her shield, Akane gathers lesser flames into her fists and feet as she readies to attack once the shield disappears. The two blasts are successfully blocked by the shield, and Akane immediately dashes through the embers and attacks with a fast combo of punch and kicks and announces the name of this attack."

"Phoenix Dance Blaze Bloom!"

Once again, Hiro sent flying backwards from Akane's attack but this time he recovers quickly and gets in Akane's face and he says with a stern tone.

"I hate killing people, but I have no choice, and now…."

The blue orb on Hiro's chest begins to glow blue and Akane realizes whatever he's planning she can't dodge from this close range and her eyes widen from fear of what's about to come. Back to Ellen and Kurumi's fight, Ellen finally manages to cut through one of the last two of Odin's whips leaving her with a lose-lose situation, either block Ellen or Kurumi. Odin then swings her last whip Kurumi's direction to at least injure or cripple her but Kurumi dodges and smiles and she says.

"Too bad."

Kurumi then points her pistol point blank at Odin's side and pulls the trigger putting a small hole in the right side of her stomach, and Ellen follows by putting a territory that shocks her since the injury to her stomach prevents her from reacting fast enough, and she passes out from the pain. After a moment of gathering their breath and exiting their combat forms, Ellen walks over to Odin and examines her body to see how serious her injuries are. Kurumi is a little confused by this and asks.

"What's the point of that? I didn't aim to kill, but even she did it wouldn't matter."

Ellen, keeping the serious look she's had this whole time, explains with a normal tone.

"Because Kurumi, I have to keep my standards."

"Oh, I see, for your husband am I right?"

"Yes, I find it more effective to teach morals by example, and I swore that I would never kill another person. I was tempted by that dog last night, but I'd rather keep my hands clean at this point."

Ellen finishes her examination and picks Odin up to get her some medical attention. Aki pounds the ground with his fist since he couldn't fight after draining his power.

"Damn it damn it! I couldn't do anything again. Am I that weak!?"

In the lower area of the police station, Saori has just finished defeating the two wizards without using her guardian and Shido is relieved that she didn't kill them but just knocked them out. Immediately after, Shido runs over to the door and opens it revealing another section of the prison meant for powerful DEM wizards which have hardly ever been used. Inside the area, Shido immediately starts looking inside each of the cells for Mana and calls her name.

"Mana!...Mana!"

Inside her cell, Mana immediately notices her brother's sounds and calls out for him.

"Big brother!"

Shido hears her voice and runs to her cell and they meet face to face which Shido is happy about since again she is from his time. Mana is crying a little but is also smiling.

"Big brother I thought I'd never see you again."

Shido is also smiling.

"Don't worry I'll get you out of there."

Saori walks over Shido with her swords ready as she tells him.

"Move over Shido, let me handle this."

Saori slices the bars off the cell and Mana's face turns serious since she thinks Saori is Kurumi, but then her face turns to surprise since she notices the differences.

"You're not Nightmare, are you?"

Shido's face, while still serious, has a little more casualty in it as he tells Mana.

"I'll explain when we get out of here."

Saori then walks behind Mana and notices a small mark on the back of her neck and picks at it which stung like crazy. Mana, despite being used to pain, gets a little mad.

"Ow, that hurt!"

Saori puts on her usual smile and flat out picks off the mark which actually a thin piece of metal attached to Mana's skin. This sent a shock of pain through her body and Saori chuckled from seeing Mana's pained expression. The moment the mark is removed, Mana becomes equipped with her realizer and she stands up with a pained look on her face from the shock. Mana then points her weapon at Saori and her face turns serious.

"I don't know who you are, but you have the same presence as Nightmare."

Shido immediately puts himself between Mana and Saori with his arms outwards.

"Mana stop it; she helped me save you."

Shido doesn't notice Saori's expression which has gone from mischievous to angry serious. Mana then puts her weapon down but still doesn't trust Saori. Shido turns to face Saori with a smile of gratitude and thanks her and immediately she puts her smile back on.

"Thanks for your help Saori. Does this mean you'll be coming with us? Please, Saori."

Mana is against the idea and expresses her feelings.

"Big brother I don't think that's a good idea she might kill somebody."

"Mana you wouldn't think like that if you knew who she is."

"Really and why's that."

"I'll tell you when we get back to the others."

Saori is tempted to leave, but thinks it's in Shinra's best interest to stay with Shido for the time being and make sure Ellen doesn't do anything stupid to ruin Shinra's plans or at least have a little more fun.

"Better stay with him for a while and maybe I can have more fun with that so-called world's strongest wizard."

Saori puts on a more innocent smile and nods her head. This made Shido happier since he finds it is a chance to get to know Saori and hopefully help her. Saori exits her spirit form and reveals a new outfit which Shido hasn't seen before; it is a short-sleeved black dress with a split in the middle of the skirt with zippers that don't connect but is held together by a pair of belts that form an X shape, and she has a pair of black ribbons tied around her hands and forearms, black boots with green ribbons, a simple pair of black pants which can be seen through the split in her skirt, and a green rose choker. Now as a trio Shido, Mana, and Saori leave the prison area to join the others outside.

Back to the final battle between Akane and Hiro, Hiro is charging his ultimate attack. The blue orb on his chest begins to glow brighter as Hiro raises his arm to the sky unleashing a tower of energy and catches Akane in it as Hiro shouts.

"Burn this life to punish my enemy!"

Akane gets caught in the tower of energy, lifted into the sky, and sharp rending pain surges through her body, and as the tower fades, Akane begins falling back to the ground, Hiro clutches his chest, and shouts the name of his attack.

"Blast Heart!"

Hiro reveals his blue orb which unleashes an explosion of energy that rips through the air and hits Akane many times seemingly killing her. Hiro puts his hand to his shoulder and begins walking towards the police station to check on the other fight on the other side and he thinks about his fight.

"For DEM trash, that girl was too much trouble and I was left with no choice. She really injured me."

As Akane continues to fall she manages to avoid passing out since that attack wasn't enough to finish her. She gets herself ready and lands back on her feet, but has trouble standing up and even coughs up a little blood as she struggles to stand up straight. Once she gets up straight, Akane lets out a loud yell that Hiro clearly hears and he turns around growling beneath his faceplate, and when he gets a look at Akane, she has a fierce look on her face as flames begin to flow into her body making it glow brightly like a nova. Once her body has finished gather flames, Akane gets ready to charge at Hiro and he puts up his guard. Akane starts to say the name of her attack.

"Phoenix Dance…"

Hiro's guarding doesn't do him much good as Akane dashes towards him with blinding speed and begins an assault of punches and kicks so fast that Hiro can't keep up with her and she shouts the name of the attack.

"Birds Of Paradise!"

Each punch and kick have the silhouette of a small phoenix. Akane keeps this blinding assault and the sounds of multiple phoenixes crying echoes through the area. Hiro can't move since Akane's blows have him stuck in her attack burning through his armor. Finally after more punching and kicking Akane's last blow comes in the form of a final punch taking the silhouette of a larger phoenix and it hits Hiro in the face sending him crashing through the walls of the station, his office, the hall, and finally out the front door of the station. Shido and his team see Hiro fly through the hall; Ellen, Kurumi, and Aki see him fly through the front door since he lands close to them. Akane falls over and turns so she lands on her back, and her astral dress disappears along with her guardian who proudly smiles at her as she falls to the ground.

Shido runs to Akane to check on her first while Mana follows him to see what he's so worried about. When he gets to her, she's already passed out from exhaustion and with a peaceful smile on her face mumbling something.

"Daddy..I want a…deluxe kid's plate, please."

Shido rubs her head with a smile and says.

"Sure, when you wake up."

Mana looks at Akane and notices her resemblance to Kotori and becomes incredibly confused by this since she believes this is no coincidence.

"Brother what's going and why are there two girls who look like Kurumi and Kotori."

"Just wait a little longer Mana because there is two more you need to see before I explain."

On the other side of the station, Hiro lies unconscious on the ground defeated by Akane and Aki is asked by Ellen to pick him up and carry him. Aki only felt worse since Akane, who is the same as him, defeated her opponent single-handedly. They waited for Shido and the others to arrive before moving to a hospital to get Hiro and Odin treatment since Ellen knew that's what Shido wants. Shido carriers Akane on his back and makes his to the others while explaining to Mana not to flip out when she sees his other friends. Upon seeing Ellen and Kurumi, Mana is beyond words but she remains calm because she doesn't understand the situation. As Shido tries to explain to Mana the situation Ellen interrupts saying they need to get Hiro, Odin, and Akane to a hospital since they have the worst injuries. Saori is only really noticed by Kurumi, who decides to not talk to her until later when the situation has cooled down.

The group's way to the hospital goes rather smoothly since its close by and most of the wizards are still on that call for some reason. This made Ellen ask the obvious question to Aki and Kurumi.

"What happened to those we were originally fighting?"

Near the forbidden zone, the younger Ellen has managed to get to the group of bandersnatches that are on standby waiting for her command. There are about fifty in total, and they are all waiting for Ellen's command. Despite her injury which has only gotten worse without treatment but she is determined to complete her mission. She holds her injury with one hand as she raises the other to command the bandersnatches. But before she can give the order, the wizards and more arrive on the scene and decimate all the bandersnatches in a flash. Ellen is surprised beyond words and has a look of absolute surprise and thinks.

"Are you kidding me!?"

A female wizard with red hair floats down towards her thinking she's an injured civilian.

"It's okay miss the AST is here and we'll make sure you get that wound treated immediately."

The younger Ellen needed to get her injury treated and she has to acknowledge it. So she accepts the AST's help and is escorted to a hospital but fortunately for Shido's groups it's a different hospital. Hours later inside the hospital, everyone is admitted into the hospital. Ellen needs to get her three slash wounds patched, Akane is bedridden from exhaustion and has slight internal bleeding, Hiro is being treated for second-degree burns, Odin is getting her bullet wound treated, but the good news is that no one is in critical danger but needs rest for a couple days. Mana did some bruises but can't be admitted into the hospital and Shido still hasn't told her about the situation since he wants to wait for Akane and Hiro to wake up so they can all talk with him one more time.

While everyone else is waiting in a waiting room, Mana has to use the bathroom and she doesn't notice Saori following her to the bathroom. When Mana finishes using the bathroom and washes her hands, Saori whispers into her ear with a menacing tone.

"I didn't like the way you pointed that toy at me earlier."

Mana is startled by this and turns around but puts a serious look.

"Who are you exactly, and what's your relation to Nightmare?"

Saori has her usual smile on and answers Mana's question.

"Me? Well let's see I grew inside of her body for nine months with two others, she nursed for I don't know how long, and she used to bathe me, and list of other things."

Mana is starting to understand but still asks with a serious tone.

"What are you getting at?"

Saori chuckles and leans in closer to Mana with a more uneasy smile on her face.

"Shido will tell you the whole story not in juicy I would though, and one more thing."

Saori summons her shadow which grabs Mana around her arms and legs and pins her to the wall, and Saori gets closer with a sadistic smile on her face.

"If you ever point a weapon at me again, I'll break your arms and legs and subject you scaphism."

Mana is disturbed by that last word.

"Scaphism?"

Saori snickers and leans her head towards Mana's ear and whispers something to her and Mana's puts on a disturbed look on her face and nearly throws up from the image that goes through her head.

"You're sick."

Saori puts Mana down and heads towards the bathroom door and looks back at her with a couple more words.

"Oh and if you tell anyone about this encounter…well, maybe you've heard enough. Just remember I'm not as soft as Nightmare."

Saori leaves the room and Mana is actually scared of her and she actually thinks Kurumi is soft. The only thing she can do is wait with the others for Akane and Hiro to recover.


	10. Chapter 10

Ch.10 Hiro's War Tale 1

After the battle with Hiro and Odin, Saori and Kurumi snuck into the police station and erased all the footage of the fights, any and all files with Mana's image in it since she's labeled as unnamed DEM wizard; this allowed everyone to move freely throughout the city and fortunately the wizards never got a good look at Ellen, Kurumi, and Aki. The AST is currently trying to make repairs to the damaged buildings, find the DEM wizards responsible (which is what they think happened), and wait for Hiro to recover and as they think Shido and his group are just some random citizens that helped the colonel and Odin. The ceremony, which was supposed to take today, is delayed until Hiro recovers since he is supposed to be the speech giver and figure head for the ceremony.

Shido and his group, minus Akane, decided to spend the night at a hotel. Mana still has no idea what's going on, but Shido has promised answers just as soon as everyone is in place and she hasn't questioned much since but is still flabbergasted by Ellen and her rather motherly persona whenever she talks about her family. Currently, Shido is talking with Kurumi over a cup of coffee in the lobby of the hotel while the others are doing their own thing. Shido wants to talk with Kurumi about what she learned about Hiro when used her power on that photo of him. Kurumi is very willing to answer but Shido only has two questions he wants answered right away, and asks with slight concern as he holds his cup of coffee.

"How many people has he…you know."

Kurumi maintained her usual demeanor and simply responds.

"One-hundred ninety –six and he kept count of every one."

Shido knew it in his heart that Hiro has killed but he is shocked to hear that he has killed that many people and his hands trembled around his cup and he tries to keep calm as he says.

"I see."

It shouldn't surprise him since Hiro is also Origami's son and how she goes about revenge since its clear to anyone that Hiro despises DEM. Shido is still trembling but still asks his second question to Kurumi.

"And does the me of this time know at all?"

"Not from what I saw, Hiro never told his dad about the killings."

Shido is curious about how much the Shido of this time knew about his sons actions and what he would think but Shido still wants to know what Hiro's true feelings are regardless of what he can hear. Back in the base timeline, Shinra is currently meeting with Freki in his room about something she feels that he could be interested in. Freki presents Shinra with a photo she took of Aki and Shinra already knows who he is thanks to Geri. But then Freki adds with a serious normal tone.

"He's probably someone who can be of great use to us and he's vulnerable."

This caught Shinra's interest.

"How so Freki?"

"He currently doubts himself and he may accept our help like Saori, but let's hope we have different results."

"Oh, you don't like Saori?"

"No Shinra but her personality scares me."

"Believe me I don't like it either but she is a valuable asset to our plan. I'll go meet with Akihiko and give him some help."

Shinra leaves the room through a dark portal and only plans on being gone for about a few minutes. Back to other timeline, Mana out for a walk getting some fresh air since she had been locked up in that jail cell for nearly two weeks and is confused since her brother claims his adventure hasn't even been more than three days. But what is currently the most pressing thing on her mind is her meeting with Saori in the bathroom. Despite being used to dealing with Kurumi, Mana is frightened by Saori and doesn't exactly know why. Just remembering her sent a shiver down Mana's spine and she feels nauseous every time she remembers Saori's threat.

Elsewhere, Aki is sitting on a bench since he also wanted to get some air but wanted to be alone. He is completely frustrated at himself.

" _I couldn't scratch that younger Ellen, I couldn't handle myself against that woman from earlier, and now we have Saori and Mana, and I only beat Saori because I got lucky. What good am I?"_

Aki looks at his hands and clenches them in frustration. He considers just asking either Ellen or Kurumi to send him home so that he won't get in the way but is unsure since he still wants to help Shido. He takes a few deep breaths and decides to go get a drink before going back to the hotel. He buys a coffee from a vending machine, takes a long sip of it, and sighs with relief feeling a little less stressed.

" _No, I'll stay with Shido. Besides I want to meet his Tohka; I want to know how my mom was like at that age."_

Aki takes another sip of his coffee and then he hears a voice in his head.

" _That's a good attitude Akihiko Itsuka."_

Aki 's eyes widen and he senses somebody standing behind him but is something is preventing him from turning to see the person who's voice sounded male.

" _Who are you?"_

" _A friend of your mother."_

" _What!?"_

" _Well not your mother but rather the Tohka I know. Anyway I'm here to help you; I want give you a gift so hold out your hand."_

Aki's arm raises on its own and his hand opens. Then he hears the sound of a finger snapping and a black sphere appears in his hand which surprises him.

" _What the!?"_

The sphere begins take shape in his hand and takes the form of a long black sword with jagged dark purple edges, the hilt is covered with purple torn bandages, glowing purple thorns adorn the hilt guard, and just holding this blade made Aki feel stronger. Aki stares at this powerful blade with awe and smiles a little creepily but immediately snaps out of it and drops it.

" _You don't like it?"_

Aki feared that sword and doesn't respond to the man's words.

" _Oh well, you can summon the sword anytime you desire and if you really want to gain power just merge yourself with the blade."_

" _WHY WOULD I DO THAT!?"_

" _I'm not forcing you to use it; whether you use it or not is completely up to you."_

" _Up…to me?"_

" _Indeed, I want to help you. By the way the sword is named is Azael."_

The man disappears without giving Aki any answers about who he is, and Aki holds his palm open again and the sword, Azael, reappears in his hands and he thinks.

" _This sword feels so dark, so sad, so lonely…and yet, I feel so strong when holding it."_

He holds the sword for a good minute and then an image of his mom crying with the saddest lonely eyes wearing a dark outfit flashes through his head and he immediately dismisses the sword.

"What was that about?"

Aki looks at his palm and debates whether he should use the sword or not, but that image of his mother made him feel sad and wonders if the sword caused that image to appear. Mana shows up, sees Aki, and decides to check on him since she was introduced to him by his first name only since Shido still wants to introduce all of his party to her at once. Mana approaches him from behind and greets him in a casual fashion.

"Hey uh Akihiko right?"

Aki turns around and sees Mana. He responds in a normal tone since he regained his composure.

"Oh yeah but please call me Aki."

Mana got a friendlier tone with Aki since she wants be on good terms with him since he's a friend of her brother.

"Okay, Aki do you want to go back to the hotel with me?"

Aki smiles.

"Sure."

Aki and Mana walk back to the hotel together and make small talk about things they enjoy. Back at the hotel, Ellen and Saori are currently enjoying coffee and cakes together. Since Ellen wasn't around when Shido's group fought Saori, Ellen doesn't have any feelings of fear around her and actually has a decent conversation with her. Ellen is asking Saori about her family.

"So you have five siblings?"

"With a sixth on the way."

"Haha you know I want to give my daughter a baby brother or sister and I wanted to ask my husband about it before all this happened."

Saori then decides to ask a serious question that even bugs her a little.

"So Ellen doesn't it bother you that there are multiple Shido's who are with different women?"

Ellen takes a bite of her cake and smiles.

"Of course not, because I see each of them as a unique person, but at the same time I feel compelled to help them if I can."

Saori sips her coffee and thinks.

" _Unique people huh. I can't argue since I see it that way myself."_

The next day Shido and his friends went to hospital to check up on Akane and Hiro. When they got to the hospital, Akane is already walking around normally in her hospital smock and waiting for them. Shido is relieved that she is doing good and apparently her wounds fully healed thanks to her powers. Also fortunate, Hiro has woken up as well and he can have visitors, so Shido decides to go up to his room and set things straight. The only thing is that he can't bring people with him since visitors are limited per room for AST members.

Once he goes inside his hospital room, Shido sees Hiro staring out the window. Shido is the first to talk and greets him in a normal tone.

"Hello colonel."

Hiro turns his head and immediately puts on an enraged look.

"You!"

Hiro looks as if he's ready to jump and attack despite his injuries, but Shido extends his arm slowly and says.

"Wait, I'm not here to fight; I only want to talk."

"Why should I listen to DEM scum?"

"Hiro if we were with DEM, would we have brought you to the hospital?"

Hiro looks at the ground and settles down since he feels like giving them a chance to explain but says.

"Fine, but I can't believe that asinine story you told me."

Shido is determined to make Hiro believe his story; then Shido gets an idea.

"Hey Hiro I have an idea."

Hiro goes with it.

"What?"

"If my story is true then I should know things about your mom that no one else would, but keep in mind I'm only sixteen and won't know things above that age."

Hiro thinks for a second and says.

"We'll see…Okay first question, what was my mom wearing the first time when you went into her apartment?"

Shido recalls that day since it was an awkward visit to get Yoshinon from Origami but he distinctly remembers what she wore and says with an awkward look.

"A maid outfit."

Hiro actually looks legitimately surprised and says.

"Correct…okay second question, when you went on a date with my mom, what was the outfit you told her to put on?"

This memory brought up feelings that make Shido uncomfortable since that particular move made him feel like an ass even though it was Kotori who told him to say it and says with his head turned.

"A school swimsuit with dog ears and a tail."

Hiro looks as if he's ready to smile but asks one more question.

"Okay last question, what is the codename of the spirit that my mother used to hold a grudge against and for what reason?"

Shido got serious about this one and gives his answer.

"Efreet the flame spirit because Origami said that it killed her parents but I couldn't let her hurt my sister and you know what I'm talking about."

Hiro's eyes widen with shock and says.

"It's true…then that means…I attacked.."

Hiro appears mortified and looks as if he's about to scream; when Shido taps him on the shoulder and says in calm tone.

"Everybody is okay, no one got hurt, and I'll bet if you apologize the others will say no problem."

Hiro's face becomes more normal but has a hint of sadness.

"But I'm supposed to help people. That's why I became an anti-wizard soldier, that's why I became a colonel, THAT'S WHY I JOINED THE AST!"

Shido pats his shoulders again.

"I not going to say I understand everything you went through, but I can say that you're not a bad person and that clearly you've made the people of this city happy."

Hiro smiles a little and says.

"Shido, tell me how you got here."

"Well okay"

Shido begins to tell Hiro about his journey so far. Downstairs in the lobby, everyone is chatting with each other, when a girl in a wheelchair storms through the entrance, and surprisingly, she is being followed by Kaguya. Kaguya is wearing a simple purple secretary dress, and the girl in the wheelchair has long white hair, amber-brown eyes, short blue jeans, a short-sleeved green shirt, sandals, and has a pink bow in her hair. The girl wheels herself to the counter with a look of panic on her face and makes a scene.

"Where's my brother!"

The nurse at the counter doesn't know how to respond but remains calm.

"Uh well who is your brother?"

The girl continues to act the same way.

"Come on look at me! My brother is Hiro Itsuka the only guy in the city with white hair like me!"

Kaguya steps in front of the girl and tries to calm her down and the sound of her saying she's Hiro's brother catches everyone's attention. Kaguya tells the girl in a calm but submissive tone.

"Kaname, you promised you wouldn't do this remember?"

Kaguya remained the same in appearance but now has her hair in the same style as Yuzuru's most likely as a tribute to her. The nurse recognizes Kaguya with a twinkle in her eye.

"Oh aren't you the actress who plays magical wind priestess Yuzuya? Oh my daughter adores you and your show can I get an autograph from you please."

The girl named Kaname slams her fist on the counter.

"Ahem, Where-Is-My-Brother!"

The nurse quickly gets back to Kaname with a nervous look as she says.

"I'm sorry miss, but currently the colonel has a guest and can't have a second visitor."

The scene continues for at least fifteen more minutes and the group can't help but feel awkward. Back inside Hiro room, Shido just finishes telling Hiro the situation so far, and just like the others Hiro feels overwhelmed but accepts it. Shido has one question for Hiro and it's something that he has trouble asking but tries with fear in his voice.

"Hiro…what happened..to"

Hiro finishes his sentence.

"To Tohka and Yuzuru?"

Shido turns his head to the window and nods.

"I'd like to know…for closure."

Hiro sighs and explains himself.

"I'd better start from the beginning."

(Flashback)

"When I was in my final year of high school, I was captain of the kendo team and it was the final match and the school was attacked by DEM. Tohka and Yoshino were in the audience that night to watch me, so I assume that's why they were there in the first place. That was I met the new adeptus 2, a French woman named Collette, she had long golden blonde hair, and wire a yellow variation of the DEM standard wiresuite, and her realizer was called Lancelot. She was a beast of a human, she attacked my school, three of my teammates died, and my younger sister Kaname was caught in the destruction of the building and became paralyzed. Afterwards I joined the AST and hoped to join DEM myself to kill Collette for what she did. The AST saw my potential with the realizer and approached me to join in a program, The Anti-Wizard Initiative.

The program was designed after DEM attacked the school. Elliot Woodman himself designed the program and I was the first to undergo the procedure to have the weapon known as the Mana Eater implanted in my body. They implanted me with Mana Eater Model-Ratatosk and I spent months training with it. I was asked to go to England and showcase my powers to Isaac Westcott. When I got there, I met Ellen Mira Mathers the strongest wizard at the time, and she looked like hell. She was coughing blood and taking a medication, and I had suspicions about Isaac and the rest of DEM. I used that visit to uncover DEMs secrets; like Isaac's depraved nature, and his experiments on spirits. This lead to the war and I along with twenty-nine other soldiers along with an army of wizards fought DEM. Originally, I was part of a squad that was placed behind a massive territory to protect the city in case of a breach I had the misfortune to fight Collette while I was injured with a broken leg and that's when…"

(This will be an actual scene)

Hiro fights against Collette in the ruins of the city which will soon be called the forbidden zone; the sounds of war fill the city and explosions can be heard in the distance. The only DEM ship left is the Goetia which is piloted by Ellen. Collette fights using a rapier based energy sword and a new model of rifle which wields in one hand with ease. Hiro readies his dual blades and tries to charge at Collette but is impeded by his leg injury and she charges him instead and knocks him down with her rapier by slashing him horizontally. Luckily for Hiro, his Mana Eater Ratatosk has evolved to the point where only his head isn't covered by the armor. Collette then runs him through the leg with her weapon and pins to the ground. She then backs up and holds her rifle with two hands and begins charging it. She puts on a smile and chuckles as she tells Hiro.

"Vous aves termine you pest."

Collette's rifle fires a single powerful shot and Hiro shuts his eyes out of fear and thinks.

" _I DON'T WANT TO DIE HERE!"_

After a moment nothing happens and Hiro is confused by this.

"Why am I not dead?..unless."

Hiro opens his eyes and is shocked beyond words.

"Oh my god!"

He sees Yuzuru in front of him holding back the blast using a powerful shield of wind but she can't hold it back forever and Hiro shouts to her.

"Get out of here Yuzuru! That shot will kill you!"

Yuzuru doesn't move and retorts.

"Logic, if I don't do something she'll kill YOU."

Hiro continues to shout for Yuzuru to move, until, the blast shoots through her wind barrier and Yuzuru takes one last moment to divert the direction of the shot so that it leans more to the left, but that isn't enough stop it from shooting clean through her body all it does is cause the shot to miss Hiro completely. Hiro pulls Collette's rapier and pulls himself to Yuzuru who has blood running from her mouth. He gets over to her and is beyond panicked as he tries to talk with her.

"Yuzuru come on come on talk to me!"

Yuzuru turns her face and looks Hiro in the eyes and smiles.

"Relief, I'm glad you're okay."

Hiro has tears running down his face.

"Why, why would you do this?"

"Reason, because if you died, Shido would be so sad."

"What about Kaguya? Won't she be sad?"

"Retort, Kaguya and I have lived longer than you and I want you to have a full life especially since you've got more things to do than me."

"Yuzuru, I don't want this."

"Lecture, Hiro we don't always get what we want, but at…least I was able to "

Yuzuru's eyes go blank and Hiro starts crying and calls out for her and presses her head against his chest and starts begging.

"Yuzuru…don't do this to us Yuzuru…don't do this to us Yuzuru…"

Hiro's sadness causes Collette to chuckle since she's been watching the entire thing and claps as she says in a rather happy tone.

"Tres Bien, that was a very nice show, and I killed a spirit something that Ellen never did."

 **(** **In case you're confused Colette is speaking french at the start of her sentences)**

Hiro grits his teeth, gently sets Yuzuru's body down, clenches his fists, and growls. He stands up despite his injury and says to Collette in angered yet controlled tone.

"I'm gonna kill you; you better know that."

Collette puts on a smug smile as she responds

"Vraiment? We'll have to see about that won't we?"

Hiro begins to emit a blue aura from his body and his mana eater begins to glow brightly. Collette is a little shaken by the glow and then the final portion of Hiro's armor coats his head and he grabs her rapier and runs at Collette with intense speed startling her.

"QUOI!?"

Collette attempts to fly away, but Hiro grabs her by her legs and slams her on the ground. He then proceeds destroy Collettes Lancelot by slashing it up with his dual blades completely grounding her and then he destroys her rifle. He then puts away his dual blades and chooses to use her stolen rapier as his weapon of choice. Collette picks herself up and pulls out a replacement rapier and the two begin to dual using the energy weapons without any words. Hiro uses his kendo training to dodge Collette's fencing and the two constantly clash blades making sparks fly from their intense clashing. After intense clashing, Hiro seemingly falls of guard and appears to flinch and Collette takes advantage of this as she attempts to finish it.

"Adieu, farewell pesky insect!"

Collette thrusts her rapier and Hiro dodges since he was faking his dropped defense. Collette is surprised since now Hiro has an opening and he tells her.

"Game over Collette."

Hiro slashes at Collette's wrist and severs her sword carrying hand causing her to let a scream. She falls to her knees holding her wrist and slowly looks at Hiro with pleading eyes.

"S'il vous plait mercy."

Hiro's face can't be seen but his words tell the tale as he says in his angered yet controlled tone.

"Mercy? You want me to show you mercy!?"

Collette begins to tremble as she nods her head and Hiro's hands begin to tremble with anger as he shouts.

"WHAT ABOUT YUZURU!? Did you show mercy to her!?"

Hiro raises the rapier high and is about to deliver the finishing blow when Collette screams. When he sees her panicked expression, Hiro then stops as he realizes that he's just as bad as DEM attacking a helpless person, so he throws down her rapier and tells her in a very serious tone.

"I don't ever want to see you again Collette, and after this war, if you survive, stay away from this city."

(Back to Hiro's narration.)

Hiro places his hand on his opposite shoulder and clenches it.

"After that I never saw Collette again, but I'd heard she was killed by Odin. I spared her because I knew it went against everything you taught me… er my dad."

"But did you kill anyone?"

Shido already knew that Hiro has killed before just based on what's happened so far but wants to hear it. Hiro clenches his shoulder tighter and has an uncomfortable looks as he tells Shido.

"Shido…It was war, people die, people kill, but…to me it's something you don't get used to."

Shido is relieved to hear that Hiro isn't a killing machine, but now is now ready to hear about Tohka. However, before Hiro can talk about her, Kaname bursts through the doors and calls out for Hiro. Shido catches on rather quickly because of what he already knows about his daughter in this world and decides to leave the room to let Hiro chat with his sister since she has her head against his bed crying since she thought something bad happened to him.

Shido started making his way to the downstairs lobby and passes by a children's ward where he hears Kaguya's voice. He pokes his head through the door out of curiosity and sees Kaguya dressed what appears to be a shrine maiden miko combined with a magical girl outfit and the children are chanting.

"Yuzuya!… Yuzuya!"

Kaguya strikes a superhero pose as she declares in an exaggerated tone.

"Evil fears my Ein Lanzer!"

Then the children follow with enthusiasm.

"Invisible yet visible, visible yet invisible."

Shido smiles at this since it looks like Kaguya has been doing okay without Yuzuru around and is making children smile. Kaguya starts signing autographs when Shido makes his way to the lobby to finally give Mana the answers that she's been craving. Upon getting back to the lobby, Shido gathers the others and then finally tells Mana the whole story and about the spirit children plus the nice Ellen. About an hour later, Mana is overwhelmed by the information that she has just been told and sits down. She believed her brother since things have gotten weird and he has no reason to lie at this point. She then asks.

"So Aki, Akane, and Saori are your kids?"

Shido scratches the back of his head and nods with a flustered look.

"Yeah in a manner of speaking."

"And the Ellen with us is your wife?"

"Yeah."

Mana then gets a weird image in her head of her brother with four wives and four kids(he didn't tell her about the others yet). Then like a punch in the face, Mana realizes that the girl who threatened her is in fact her niece and looks at Saori with a blank stare.

" _She can't be…"_

Saori gives a closed eye smile and waves at Mana since everyone is too close for her to give a more sinister look. Mana eventually accepts the idea and tells Shido what she knows and about Origami going missing. Shido is shocked by this and is much more curious about who is doing this. Mana then tells Shido about the masked man but remembers very little about his appearance other than his mask because the room was too dark. Nobody has any ideas who this masked man is and Aki doesn't bring up the incident last night since he's still debating within his mind. Five hours later, the group is called by Hiro back to the police station which has been fully repaired in record time and he had been discharged around the same time with his injuries mostly healed. This time he has a proposal to the group with everybody around in his office as he says.

"I'd like to come with you all."

Everybody is a little surprised, but Shido is the only one to talk.

"But what about the AST? Don't they need you?"

Hiro smirks a little as he explains.

"Well that's why I have somebody ready to take my place in such a time."

Hiro presses a button on his desk as he says.

"Kyoka, please come in now."

The door opens and a girl about sixteen walks into the office. She has a slender figure, long blonde hair tied in a ponytail, light brown eyes, and is wearing a white skirt, a white suite top with black outlines with some blue covering certain parts with a silver tie, and silver stilettos. She has a grin on her face as she says hello.

"Hello colonel Itsuka."

Hiro introduces her to the group.

"My friends, this is Kyoka Kannazuki my secretary and my vice colonel in a sense and an Anti-Wizard soldier like me."

 **(Quick note: Anti-Wizard soldiers are automatically ranked as majors and are eligible for promotions.)**

The name Kannazuki rings inside Shido and Akane's minds and Akane asks in a "really" tone.

"Kannazuki as in Kyouhei Kannazuki?

Kyoka nods her head.

"Yes, that is my papa's name. Do you know him?"

Both Akane and Shido picture Kannazuki with a girl that looks like she's fourteen wearing wedding attire with Kannazuki having that smile on his and shiver a little. Hiro then tells Kyoka some last words.

"Now Kyoka, we can't afford mistakes in my absence so please do your best. Oh and please handle the ceremony in my place as well."

Kyoka smiles as she says.

"I will, but if I may need a long, thorough, and intimate lecture when you return."

Akane then thinks

" _Great, she's a verbal masochist."_

The others aren't objecting to Hiro's offer since he thought they were DEM and now realizes that they aren't. He has a replacement set up and the ceremony will be held without him. Shido smiles and nods then Hiro extends his arm to shake Shido's hand and Shido accepts, but then he remembers something that's been on his mind.

"Hiro what was up with the girl dressed up as Yoshino? Why did she have a hook hand like a pirate?"

Hiro chuckles a little as answers in rather jovial tone.

"Oh I lied and said that she had a hook hand so that the real Yoshino could live without being noticed too much."

Shido shrugs it off before they then leave this timeline and go to the next world. However through the gate they hear snickering in the distance.

 **Authors note- This will not be the last time the war will be talked about. I just wanted to end this timeline since it came out longer than I expected. I am deeply sorry that this chapter took so long, but please understand that I value my readers and I am constantly working on multiple projects at once. I will continue to work on the next chapter so I can get it done faster.**


	11. Chapter 11

Ch.11 The Ghostly Spirit

The group teleports into the inside of an airship with an unfamiliar setting; both Akane and Hiro recognize the internal design as being the same model as the fraxinus, but it isn't. Ellen takes a moment to look around and she has the answer.

"This a DEM airship but I can't remember the name. It was built in my time shortly before I left DEM."

Mana doesn't recognize it because it is a newer model that was created after she left the organization. Mana is uneasy working with Kurumi and Saori but is rather happy to be working with the kind Ellen in their group since from the brief moments they've talked, Mana has formed a good opinion about her loving attitude especially compared to the Ellen she knows. Hiro and Mana, oddly enough, don't really react to the teleportation and instead keeps straight faces. Everyone else is already used to the teleporting due to past usage.

The group looks around the ship but is on edge because the ship has an eerie feeling. The group makes their way into the deck of the ship and sees an entire crew. Hiro quickly pulls out his dual blades and prepares to fight, but Shido tells him to wait and adds with a calm yet unsure tone.

"Something isn't right."

Shido is right, because the crew is working like machines since they don't pay attention to anything other than their station and don't turn around when the group enters the cockpit. Being cautious, Hiro slowly approaches the commander who is sitting in his chair and shakes his shoulder and tries to talk to him.

"Hey sir, are you okay?"

After a few seconds of shaking, the commander in the chair falls over with his eyes opened. Shido, Akane, and Aki trembles a little as Hiro checks the man's pulse and shakes his head as he says.

"He's dead."

Shido is mortified at seeing a dead body especially since he was sitting there as if he was alive, Akane hates seeing dead bodies in general and has never actually seen a dead person, and Aki is tempted to scream since he's so shocked from seeing a real dead body. The others are indifferent to the dead commander but are on edge since they realize something is very wrong. All of the sudden, the other crew members fall over dead just like the commander and leave the ship without anyone to control it and the ships alarm goes off a little. Ellen immediately starts telling everyone to take the ships controls and she'll guide them through it. Luckily, Hiro and Akane are familiar with the ships controls. Kurumi, Saori, Shido, and Aki are the only party members that don't need to take the controls since Ellen, Akane, Mana, and Hiro drive the ship. The alarm eventually stops and everything calms down. Saori gathers the bodies and instantly realizes what killed the crew as she thinks in her head irritated.

" _He sent her!? Damn it Shinra, why did you give HER permission to fight this early?"_

Saori tells everyone that the crew was poisoned by someone, but Kurumi is suspicious of her since she has a different idea. Saori then says to everyone in a calm and sweet tone.

"Oh I think I have jet lag so I'm going to find a place to lie down."

Saori leaves the deck and Kurumi makes up the same excuse and follows Saori into one ships resting quarters. Aki and Akane, understandably, are very distrustful of Saori; Shido is also uneasy about what she's done, but wants to help her and having her in the group is one the best way to make sure she's close. The room Saori and Kurumi went into is the sleeping quarters for the commander. Inside the room, Saori sits on the bed in the room and Kurumi begins to question her in with her innocent demeanor.

"Saori, what are you up to exactly?"

Saori reacts with the same innocent demeanor.

"Whatever do you mean?"

Kurumi's tone turns into her more serious demeanor.

"You don't expect me to believe you joined out of the goodness of your heart, do you?

Saori chuckles a little as she asks.

"What do you want me to say? But then again, why would you trust anything I say at this point?"

"Then I'll ask this, what do you see me as since I'm your mother?"

Saori summons her longer sword and points it at Kurumi's stomach and says with a more unsettling tone.

"That"

Kurumi is a little confused and asks gently.

"What is "that" exactly?"

"Tehe that's-a-se-cret"

Kurumi summons her shadows and has the hands grab Saori and hold her to the bed and walks intends to get some straight answers.

"Okay let's try this again, what is that you intend to get from me?"

Saori closes her eyes and starts laughing a little as the shadows begin to release her which surprises Kurumi a little. Saori then stands up and continues laughing softly, until suddenly she opens her eyes and has a rather disturbing smile on her face.

"I don't think you understand who you're dealing with Kurumi."

Saori gets really close to Kurumi's face as her expression gets toned down.

"Telling now would be pointless considering who's been following your movements from the beginning."

Kurumi maintains her composure since she doesn't intend to lose at mind games against Saori, but is also curious.

"Who is this person Saori?"

Saori backs up and gets in the bed and answers softly.

"You'll see."

Saori then closes her eyes again and goes to sleep in the bed. Kurumi realizes that dealing with Saori at the moment is useless since she is at a disadvantage against her other timeline daughter.

Back in the bridge, things have settled down a bit and Ellen has activated the auto-pilot and everyone takes some time to cool off and chat while they ascertain the situation. Mana goes to check around the ship to find any food or any survivors and Hiro insists on accompanying her; Mana doesn't hold any ill will against Hiro and is curious about some things about him since he's so different from the others. They walk around the ship and Mana asks him something.

"Hey Hiro, why'd you think I was a DEM wizard when we met? I mean I wasn't using my special realizer."

Hiro is quick to respond.

"Oh that's simple; you see Mana in my time, the AST has a new system to monitor the realizers we use. DEM used to supply realizers to us, but once the war began, the AST forbid the use of DEM realizers and we only use ones made by Asgard Electronics. Each realizer also has a serial number that any high ranking member can scan. In this way, we can monitor and control which realizer is being used at what time and by whom."

Mana then puts it together.

"Oh I see. I'm using an older model by your times standards without a serial number."

"Yes, and you encountered a lieutenant class wizard who scanned your realizer."

Hiro stops walking and Mana stops as soon as she notices him not moving. Hiro then looks at Mana with a casual look on his face.

"By the way Mana, I can't help but notice that you're tense around Kurumi, why?"

"I'm worried about Nightmare being with us. I'll attack her if she tries anything funny."

Hiro snaps at Mana's words and shouts at her.

"You will do no such thing!?"

Mana is startled a little by the loudness of Hiro's voice. Hiro then apologizes to her.

"I will not permit anyone to harm a spirit while I'm alive."

Mana is shocked a little and responds.

"Do you know what Kurumi has done?"

"You mean kill people? I don't care honestly. Mana, I care for the people of the city, I do, but I love the spirits. All of them are precious to me."

Mana is baffled a little by Hiro's explination.

"I don't know how you can say that."

Hiro lifts his face to the ceiling and actually says.

"Maybe I'll tell you another time, but not now. I don't think you're ready to understand. But don't misunderstand me, I am tickled pink to fight alongside you."

Mana thinks that while she doesn't understand the young man who is supposed to be the son of a girl who hates spirits. Regardless, Mana decides that the best idea is to accept that he feels this way and decides to go with it. Hiro turns his towards Mana and sees her arm extended to shake his hand, he smiles, accepts her handshake, and says.

"It's an honor Mana Takamiya. I Colonel Hiro Itsuka, codename Ratatosk, will fight with you until the end."

The two continue the search around the ship and talk battle tactics to each other. Unbeknownst to everyone, in a special portion of the ship meant for detaining spirits is Kotori. Kotori ended up in this time, but unfortunately ended up inside the ship during a mission. She ended up being captured since she couldn't resist. However, she has only been in this time for about five hours from her perspective. Freki is guarding the cell from the shadows. Kotori is worried about Shido, but keeps calm under the pressure and patiently waits since she has no idea she's in another time.

Aki goes to look for survivors alone since the others a sure he'll be okay in this ship by himself. Meanwhile, Ellen and Akane are looking into their location using the ships map. Shido is sitting doing nothing on the bridge; then Kurumi enters the bridge to check on Shido since she's a little worried that Saori may do something to him. Ellen then starts checking the ships cameras from one of the crew seats to see if anything is out of the ordinary, and then she sees Kotori inside a cell and immediately tells Shido.

"Shido I found someone we've been looking for."

Shido immediately stands up and walks over to Ellen to look at her screen and sees Kotori, and is both surprised and happy.

"Kotori is here?"

He is also a little relieved since Aki is near that area according to Ellen. Kurumi advises Shido to stay in the bridge with her and Ellen because she's now uneasy about leaving Shido alone while Saori is on the ship. Akane is now looking into the mission log at the commander's seat while Ellen is guiding Aki towards Kotori's location and he's happy to help his aunt. They know it's her because she is still wearing her school uniform. Akane is so caught up in reading the mission log that she doesn't notice that the base-timeline version of her mother is on this ship. Then she sees something peculiar about this mission and tells Ellen.

"Hey Ellen, something is a little off here."

Ellen turns her head to see Akane and listens to what she has to say. Akane then reads that the mission the crew was on is a scouting mission with the intent to gather details on a spirit that appeared recently around Tengu city. The spirit in question hasn't been photographed since she's only been seen once and she reportedly wears a pearl white cloak with a hood covering her head. Also, this world's Ellen is supposed to be on this mission and her body isn't among the deceased crew. Akane then asks the question on everybody's mind.

"So where is she?"

As Akane asks, the alarm goes off on the ship because someone was knocked against the roof of the ship. Immediately Ellen switches the screen to a camera showing the roof and the group sees this world's Ellen covered in injuries and panting while equipped with her realizer. Then another person gently lowers on the roof, a woman wearing a pearl white cloak, pearl white boots, and pearl white pants. Everybody then gets the impression that this person must be the spirit who recently appeared. The woman looks into the camera and waves to everybody as if she can sense them. Her weapons catch everybody's eyes; she has a pair of black energy blades with white lines extending from her hands.

This world's Ellen then charges at the cloaked woman, but she counters by swinging her left blade at Ellen's throat and the sound of slicing echoes causing everybody who's watching, except Kurumi, to gasp, and the Ellen in the party gently grabs her own throat as if she just imagined herself in the same position. The cloaked woman then reveals her face; she has waist-length pale white hair, ghostly white eyes, and very pale skin giving her a ghostly appearance. She smiles into the camera and introduces herself to the party.

"Hello Shido, Kurumi, and other people."

Everybody is speechless and the woman says something a little unsettling.

"Don't waste words on me Shido. I'm not a spirit who you have a chance with. To the point, I want to you send me Kurumi and Kotori, and I know they are both on this ship, and she is the one from your timeline Shido."

Everyone is surprised since this mysterious woman appears to know too much about what they're doing and about their timeline jumping. Moreover she has this familiar presence, like Shido and even everybody feels like they know her. Then it hits Akane like a punch in the face.

"My mo…Kotori is on this ship!?"

Downstairs, Aki finally arrives at Kotori's location and sees her through a glass door. She's asleep and Aki begins to knock on the door. Kotori looks at him and sees that he's wearing the uniform of Shido's high school and then Aki immediately says.

"I'm a friend of your brother."

Kotori is surprised a little and immediately approaches the door and asks.

"You're a friend of Shido?"

Aki nods and says in a friendly tone.

"Uh huh, my name is Akihiko but please call me Aki."

Kotori decides that Aki isn't lying and trusts in his words for the moment. Aki then looks around for a switch or something to get her out and asks.

"So how'd you end up here?"

Kotori , who is currently wearing her black ribbons, explains that she literally ended up here in the ship and tells Aki.

"One of the worst things is that the food here sucks."

Aki then thinks to himself.

" _HEHE that's my aunt all right._ Well as soon as I get you out of here, we'll get Shido to make something okay _."_

Kotori already decides she rather like Aki a little.

"You're alright."

Unable to find a switch, Aki decides to just enter his spirit form and pry open the door with his sword. Upon seeing his spirit form, Kotori immediately notices the resemblance to Tohka and asks Aki while he gets ready to get her out.

"Hey Aki, do you happen to know the name Tohka Yatogami?"

Before Aki can answer or pry the door open, someone enters the scene and tackles Aki away from the door. Aki gets up and sees a familiar character, the girl who attacked him in his time; he can tell because she's holding the same sword but doesn't have her small axe out. He gets angry and utters.

"It's you."

The girl then slices the door to pieces, looks at Kotori, and says in cold tone.

"Get to the bridge, your brother and his friends are there."

Kotori is hesitant to leave Aki alone with this girl since she can clearly see who to trust, but Aki says.

"Kotori get to the bridge she's not lying. I'll handle this."

Kotori is still unsure and asks in a serious tone.

"Are you sure."

Aki nods and Kotori immediately gets moving to the bridge. Aki stands up and tells the girl.

"If you want a fight, then come on."

The girls chuckles a little at the young swordsman and says in a casual tone.

"I have different place for us to fight, so follow me."

Geri then dashes past Aki and he begins to chase her and shouts.

"Get back here!"

Geri doesn't answer Aki's yelling and continues to run away and lead him to a different room. Aki chases her into a large room that heavily resembled the training dome back in Akane's timeline Fraxinus. The girl runs over the end of the room and stops moving, Aki stops at the opposite side and asks.

"Who are you?"

The young girl smiles smugly and retorts.

"Why does it matter who I am?"

Aki then holds up his sword and says in a slightly angry tone.

"Well, I learned that it's polite to introduce yourself when asked."

The girl responds in a sarcastic manner.

"Well then, what's your name then?"

Aki simply states his name and ignores the sarcasm.

"Akihiko Itsuka."

"Akihiko Huh, _so this is this the kid Shinra wanted me to push."_

Aki has doubts he can beat Geri, but is still unsure if he should use his new sword or not. Geri chooses to not use her axe for this fight and waits for Aki to make the first move.

Back in bridge, Kotori makes her way into the area and immediately meets eyes with Shido who immediately walks up to his sister and hugs her, and asks in a worried tone.

"Are you okay?"

Kotori responds in her serious tone.

"What, no good to Kotori, or a simple hi?"

Kotori then smiles and hugs Shido back and says in a more sweet tone.

"I missed you like crazy big bro."

Akane looks at the siblings and she instantly reminisces about her parents, and then buries herself in the mission log to distract herself from seeing Kotori. Not long after, the woman in white interrupts the happy reunion by throwing something at the camera which causes Ellen to feel even more uncomfortable as she is the only person who sees it. The woman then proclaims.

"I believe I made a demand."

Shido looks at the screen and says in a serious tone.

"I'm not letting my sister or Kurumi get near you."

Shido is concerned and doesn't want any one of his friends get near that woman. The woman then shakes her head and says with a rather annoyed looks.

"Well too bad, because I'm not a very patient woman today Shido."

The woman raises her hand to the sky and snaps her finger. Moments later, an alarm goes off, the spacial quake alarm. Everyone then gets a little worried, and in another area, Mana and Hiro are racing back to the bridge because the alarm. Aki and Geri are clashing blades in the dome area and are too distracted by their fight to notice the alarm. A few more moments later, a very sphere can be seen and it's the size of a large comet. Everyone is speechless at the massive mass of energy and the woman says.

"You can have until the count of ten to send Kotori and Kurumi to me."

Kotori backs away from Shido and says in a serious tone.

"Shido, why didn't send me up there in the first place?"

Shido gets more worried and says.

"Kotori, that woman killed Ellen without any trouble and I don't want you to get hurt."

Kotori looks at Kurumi, who she just noticed, and says.

"Come on Kurumi, I'm sure we both don't want anything to happen to Shido."

Kurumi nods and says with a mischievous smile.

"Of course not, Shido is mine after all."

"Uh no, he's my brother so that makes him mine and you can't have him."

Shido feels a little uncomfortable hearing the girls talk about him like he's property. Kotori and Kurumi both leave to go the roof of the ship and on the way Kurumi puts on her astral dress to get ready in case they need to fight. Akane, back in the bridge, says quietly.

"Please don't get hurt mom."

Back to the fight in the dome, Geri's sword begins to glow black and seems to drip a deep red liquid and she slashes at Aki and calls out.

"Blood Scent!"

Aki manages to block the first three slashes of this attack, but Geri's final blow is too powerful for Aki to block as a small burst of energy bursts from Geri's sword hits Aki in the chest and knocks him back. Geri then gathers mana into her opposite hand and calls out the name of another attack.

"Dark Presence!"

A black circle appears around Aki with dark symbols appearing along with dark flames and a burst of energy comes down on Aki slamming him against the ground hard and he lets go of his sword. Geri walks up to him and kicks his sword away and thinks to herself.

" _Come on kid, summon master Shinra's gift."_

Aki then gets frustrated and Geri's expression changes to one of anticipation. Finally on the roof, Kurumi and Kotori arrive to talk with the cloaked woman who now has a smile on her face. The woman looks at the girls and says.

"Welcome, _so these are two of my choice…not bad."_

Kotori asks the woman a question.

"Are you a spirit?"

The woman responds while walking around the roof.

"I don't really know how to answer that. I am and at the same time I'm not. I find it to be a dilemma actually."

Kotori follows with.

"Okay, then what do you want exactly?"

"Now that is something I can answer. I want what he wants; I want what should be mine."

Kurumi shoots four shots at the woman with her guns, but then woman then catches the bullets between her fingers and tosses them aside and says.

"You're no fun at all Kurumi. _Maybe he likes that."_

The woman then realizes something.

"Oh, I forgot to introduce myself. Really where my manners…my name is Kokoro."

Kurumi is surprised that her bullets where caught so easily and gets a bad feeling from this woman. Kokoro then turns her back to the girls and says.

"But of course I came all this way and this woman was no fun."

Kokoro then looks down at the dead body of the Ellen she killed and kicks it off the ship and into the ocean. Kokoro then turns around and points at the girls and proclaims.

"So you'll have to quell my boredom and show me what my choices can do!"

Kokoro then closes her eyes and raises her arms to the sky as red feathers begin float from around her body and her hair begins to turn black and a red wing with black lines made of energy extends from her back and flaps as black and red energy feathers fall from it. Kokoro then opens her eyes and one is now red and the other a clock, just like Kurumi. Kokoro then snaps her fingers again and shouts.

"Come Zafkiel!"

Kurumi and Kotori are both shocked after hearing her shout for Kurumi's angel, but Zafkiel doesn't appear behind Kokoro. Kurumi then asks.

"Well, where is Zafkiel?"

Kokoro extends her hand and points down to the ground. Kotori and Kurumi both look down and see a massive Zafkiel below their feet and it forms a massive barrier around itself to avoid anyone from escaping. Kokoro then says.

"Bet!"

Zafkiel 's 2 o'clock postion lights up and everything slows down outside the barrier. Kokoro then summons her energy blades which are now red with black lines and says.

"Don't worry, I don't play with my skin…much."

Kokoro licks her lips and Kotori changes into her spirit form to help. Kurumi then summons her own Zafkiel and Kotori readies with her Camael. Kokoro then says.

"Now, let our date begin."

Kotori snaps back with.

"Hey that's my line!"

Everybody takes a stance and prepares to fight.


	12. Chapter 12

Ch.12 Beyond time

With time slowed down around the area outside Zafkiel and the barrier, Kotori and Kurumi can't get help from the others. Kokoro begins the fight by activating the first bullet Aleph, to move at accelerated speed and appears to teleport. She moves behind Kurumi and slashes her across the back with both of her blades in an X form and knocks her forward. The blades don't cut through Kurumi's spirit armor, but cause intense pain anyway, like the feeling of being cut in half. Kurumi lands on her feet but cringes a little from the pain and thinks.

" _It feels like my skin is being peeled off. What is she!?"_

Kotori then begins her assault by swinging her Camael at Kokoro who simply moves out of the way leaving after images from her insane speed from using Aleph. Kotori attempts to use her flames to trap Kokoro and prevent her from moving too much but she dodges all the flames with relative ease. Kurumi summons her own Zafkiel and tries to charge up her own Aleph but Kokoro intervenes by dashing in front of her and spins with her blades and then knocks Kurumi skyward with an upward strike. Kokoro then flies into the air and combos Kurumi with her blades and hits her thirty times at a very fast speed and ends the combo by using a heavy downward slash and knocks Kurumi on the ground hard. Kokoro then lightly lands on the ground and Kurumi is knocked out from the violent impact to the ground. But before passing out, Kurumi notices that the Kokoro's clock eye isn't ticking.

Kotori runs up to Kokoro and slams her Camael on the ground to create a shockwave of fire with the hopes of hurting her opponent with the scattering flames, but she misses thanks to Kokoro's immense speed increase. Kotori then get frustrated and says.

"Come on! Quit zipping around like that!"

Kokoro then dashes very close to Kotori's face, and gives her a sadistic smile and gently rubs Kotori's face and creepily says.

"Such soft skin…"

Kotori then says in an awkward out tone.

"Okay, that creeped me out!"

Kotori swings her Camael again, only to miss since Kokoro back flips out of the way. Kotori's eyes then begin to glow red and she gets that serious look on her face and she sets up for the Meggido Cannon and calls out.

"Camael Meggido!"

Camael then begins to dismantle into its cannon mode and Kotori charges it to fire a powerful blast at Kokoro. The strange thing is, Kokoro just stands in one spot and then red and orange feathers flow around her body as her hair begins to turn red and her eyes remain the same, and a second wing emerges from her back, and it is also red, but has light orange as the second color. Kotori doesn't waste any time and fires the blast; Kokoro simply stands and actually extends her arm with her hand open and lets the blast come at her. The blast hits creating a smoke screen, and Kotori believes that she's gained the advantage and smiles rather sadistically since she's entered her more berserk mode, but when the smoke clears, Kokoro is still standing up straight and the only part of her that is abnormal is her hand which has smoke coming off it. She then places her hand close to her face, blows on it and says.

"I'm impressed; you actually managed to make my hand numb with that blast. I guess it's a good thing you can't actually hurt me with it or I might be in some trouble."

Kokro then gets up in front of Kotori again, and this time she summons a small red and orange sphere which she slams against Kotori's stomach creating a small explosion of energy causing Kotori to fall backwards. As Kotori falls, Kokoro charges another blast and rushes Kotori with it by making another explosion causing her to fall violently to the ground creating a dent in the ships roof. Kokoro looks down at Kotori and demands.

"Get up, I know you have more fight in you."

Kotori's eyes are still open but she has clearly lost consciousness. Kokoro then dispels her Zafkiel barrier since both Kurumi and Kotori have lost consciousness. Now in normal time, everyone sees that Kurumi and Kotori have lost and are injured. Afraid for their safety, Shido gets up out of his seat and dashes toward the roof to help them. Ellen tries to stop him since she doesn't want him to get hurt, but she can't leave the controls in case of an emergency and calls for Akane.

"Akane, talk some sense into him."

Ellen doesn't get a response and looks at her seat to ask again, only to see that she is gone. Shido makes his way to the roof and confronts Kokoro, who smiles and turns her face to looks at him, and snaps her finger to dispel the spacial quake which has been a threat this entire time. Shido has a serious expression and asks.

"Why did you do this?"

Kokoro simply responds.

"Because, I'm in love with a very special man."

Shido doesn't act hostile towards this woman since maybe she can be reasoned with. He still has desires to help her since he thinks she's a spirit, and he then asks.

"Who is this, special man?"

Kokoro closes her eyes and wags her finger towards Shido.

"I'm sorry, but he wishes to meet you in person first. I just came here to look at my merchandise."

Shido is confused.

"Merchandise?"

Before Kokoro can answer, Akane appears in her spirit form with her guardian and red flames ready and immediately starts punching at the woman garbed in white.

At the controls, Ellen sees Aki fighting with Geri in the ships training room, but realizes that in an emergency, she needs one other person besides herself at the controls and sends a message via the intercom to Mana and Hiro.

"Mana, Hiro, I need one of you to go to the training room in the bottom, and I need one of you in here with me. Aki is fighting with someone, but I don't know who it is."

Mana and Hiro get the message and decide what to do, Hiro is going back the bridge to help Ellen, and Mana is going to help Aki fight Geri. Speaking of which, Aki is still laying on the ground while Geri waits and hopes that Aki draws Azael. Instead, Aki decides on a different approach; he gets up rather fast and Geri tries to retaliate, but Aki summons his guardian who pushes Geri back, hands Aki his second sword, and assumes her position. Aki then thinks to himself.

" _I can't rely on Rending Saber. No, I'll fight more strategically."_

Geri regains her balance and says with a smirk.

"Someone learned a trick or two since last time."

Aki retorts seriously.

"Attacking an unarmed guy getting some milk for his mom is pretty low Geri."

Geri's smile becomes smugger as she says.

"Momma's boy."

Aki gets a little angry and notices that his sword is glowing.

" _Wait, maybe I can…."_

Geri begins to rush at Aki, and he responds by concentrating and then swinging his sword and releases an energy slash from the blade at a very fast speed. Geri can't react fast enough to dodge and instead attempts to block the slash wave by quickly pulling out her small axe to block it, but as soon as the attack makes contact with the axe, it shatters and Geri receives a damaging blow across her chest and she gets blown back against the wall.

Seconds later, Mana makes her way into the room already equipped with her realizer. She stands next to Aki and says.

"Need any backup?"

Aki thinks that Mana will be a great help since he thinks that getting help with anything is a good thing. Geri regains her balance and sees Mana; this causes her to growl underneath her cap and say in frustration.

"It's you!"

Geri then materializes a new sword in her opposite hand; this sword is a katana with a red blade and platinum edges, with a platinum guard, red hilt, and a gold tassel. She then says a deadly serious tone.

"Glad you have someone to comfort you Mana, because this is the end of your pathetic life!"

Aki is little confused and asks Mana.

"Do you know this girl?"

Mana shakes her head.

"No, or maybe; I can't see her face."

Geri growls again and get ready to charge and Mana asks Aki.

"Have you seen her before?"

"She attacked me back in my time, but I have no idea why."

Geri makes her way over to Mana and Aki, and then swings both of her swords but both Aki and Mana block with their weapons and spread out.

Back on the roof, Akane is still trying to land a punch on Kokoro , but can't. Kokoro continues to dodge by just moving her body until she says.

"Little wretch."

Kokoro then elbows Akane in the stomach very hard and knocks her to the ground. She then grabs Akane by her hair and pulls her up to finish her off and says in a threatening voice.

"I have no obligation to let you live, and I won't let anyone stop me from getting what I want."

She readies her energy blade which now glows brightly and crackles of energy can be heard. Shido once again tries to summon Sandalphon out of desperation to help her, but then something unusual happens. Akane's guardian unwraps her arms around her and flies over to Shido and gently places hands onto his; he feels a warm feeling from her touch, and then, in a flash of fire, Camael appears in Shido's hands already in its cannon mode. The guardian smiles at him and he can feel a desire to protect from Akane from danger, Shido nods, and they both grab the cannon and aim it at Kokoro. The cannon begins to charge with flames that appear from around the guardian's body and the they glow bright gold instead of red or blue. Kokoro pays no heed to the flame and instead, her hair turns red again and she holds out her hand to block it. Shido and the guardian prepare to fire the blast and Shido decides to shout out.

"Camael Megido!"

The cannon fires a massive blast the shoots out in the shape of a phoenix and the sounds of a phoenix's cries echo through the air, and when it connects with Kokoro's hand, the blast persists and even starts to burn through her glove. Now realizing the threat Kokoro throws Akane to the ground, and puts up her other hand to block. However, the blast manages to burn through her hands and creates an explosion with a lot of smoke. Shido keeps on the offensive just in case Kokoro managed to successfully block the attack. When the smoke clears, Kokoro is standing in the same spot but her hands and most of her arms are scorched from the blast. She has an irritated look, but immediately warps away without saying anything. Shido wanted to talk with her before she left, but now he has to get Kotori and Kurumi to the sick bay to have their injuries checked. Akane is still conscious, but only because the blow to her stomach only stunned her for a minute, and she is flabbergast at Shido holding Camael with her guardiam, who fades away in flames and takes Camael with her. Akane thinks to herself.

"Was that…my mom's Camael?"

Akane stands up and exits her spirit form to gather her thoughts on what just happened. Shido smiles because the feeling he got as the guardian held his hand made him feel very happy. Shido proceeds to lift Kurumi off the ground and carry her on his back, and Akane does the same with Kotori since she insisted on being the one to handle her mother's younger self.

Back to the fight down in the training area, Aki and Mana overpower Geri, and Aki launches her through a wall with more powerful version of his energy slash. He walks over to continue the fight, and Mana stays in place ready to fight more. Aki goes through the hole in the wall Geri made when she got launched, and he steps on something, then picks it up and says to himself.

"Is this her hat?"

Geri walks up with her swords ready and Aki gets a good look at her face and shocked beyond belief as he says.

"You!?"

Geri then sees her hat in his hand and gets upset as she threatens Aki.

"If you tell anyone about my face, I'll go to your time again, and I'll kill your mom!"

Aki gets mad and readies his sword and drops the hat. Geri runs towards him, and he swings, but she dodges by jumping out of the way, drops down, grabs her hat, and teleports away using one of the dark crystals; something Aki or anyone has seen in a while. Once she leaves, Aki is back to being stunned by her face. She looks exactly like someone he knows, but with difference of having Azure eyes, and a tattoo above her right eye that says, CWM-M. After reporting back to Mana, Aki can't help but wonder even more about the people who are causing this, and then reverts back to his normal form.

An hour later, Shido and Akane place Kurumi and Kotori in the sickbay. Their injuries aren't even bad, but they are unconscious. Hiro is currently acting as their bodyguard until they wake up and sits in the sick bay with them. Shido is applying bandages to Aki for some very basic first aid which really can do. Akane is taking the helm of the controls since her own injuries are nothing now. Saori woke up a little while ago and joined the others in the bridge. Mana is talking with Ellen on the bridge since she's been curious about her for a while now.

Mana talks with Ellen while they sit and casually talk about Ellen's time. Mana starts by asking.

"So let me get this straight, you're my brother's wife in your time?"

Ellen nods.

"Yeah, and we have a beautiful little girl."

Ellen talks more about her daughter and about her origin about meeting and falling in love with her husband. Mana enjoys listening to her talk and says.

"You know, the Ellen I know is arrogant and…"

Ellen interrupts her as she swiftly says.

"That's because she's an idiot."

Mana is a little confused as to why this sweet and caring Ellen is so hostile towards her younger counterpart since she's also insult her younger self in various ways, and asks.

"I get you're not proud of your past, but why are so mean to her?"

Ellen wastes no time and says very seriously.

"Because she reminds me of how stupid, selfish, arrogant, and blind I used to be. It's like looking in a broken mirror, and I hate it."

Mana is a little silent because she understands better now, and she changes the subject by asking.

"So, are we good friends in your time?"

Ellen puts a smile back on.

"Oh yes, we're very good friends. I'd be as prudent to say, we're the best of friends. Being the president of a gaming company can be exhausting, but it makes it worth more to come home to a good family and good friends."

Then something hits Mana.

"If you're the president, then won't your company be in a bind without you?"

Ellen shakes her head.

"No, my sister Karen took over for me in my absence. Without DEM around anymore, she has a lot of free time to help out."

"Oh, I see. It sounds like you live a happy life."

Ellen nods with content smile in complete agreement. In the bedroom where she has been during this entire incident, Saori smiles since she intends to have fun in the next timeline. Not long after, Kurumi and Kotori wake up and are immediately greeted by Hiro, who is relieved that they are awake. They go to the bridge where everyone else currently is. Kotori is brought up to speed about the situation, and doesn't find it as strange as anyone else would or has. However, she is then told about the spirit children themselves and looks at Akane, who she saw earlier but had no time to interact with, and says while pointing her finger at her other timeline daughter.

"So wait, she's…with…..me…daughter!?"

Kotori erupts with a blush and an absolutely flushed look and looks as if she's about to pass out. Mana walks up to Kotori and pats her on the shoulder as she says with a slightly jealous tone that she has been holding back for a while.

"Well, at least…this proves that you can get closer to Shido than I can…in manner of speaking."

At this moment, everyone's stomachs begin to growl at once. Hiro brings up that he and Mana found a kitchen a bit earlier, and Shido suggests.

"Hey if there's kitchen, then I'll make for us to ea…"

Before Shido can finish his sentence, everyone except Mana, Kurumi, and Saori book it towards the kitchen with excited looks on their faces. Shido then rubs the back of his head with an awkward look as he says.

"Well, I guess my cooking can be a secret weapon to increase morale."

Shido then proceeds to follow the others to the kitchen and is followed by Mana, Kurumi, and Saori. Once in the kitchen, Shido is pelted with requests for foods. He gets requests for curry, hamburger steaks, cakes, rice omlettes, and fried chicken. Even feeling overwhelmed, Shido says yes to all the requests because he hasn't cooked in a while and he wants to feel relaxed again. So he prepares a feast of everyone's favorite dishes before they decide to move on to the next timeline. Aki remains silent on Geri's face because he's not going to ignore her threat, but at the same time, he's proud of himself for fighting more efficiently. Everyone has more wonder about the mysterious Kokoro, her true abilities,and her so called "Special Man", but is just willing to take a break and enjoy some of Shido's home cooking, and thankfully, the kitchen has everything they need.

 **Author's Note- To clear up something that really nobody could have known without asking me, I am aware of the events in the light novels, but I haven't read them yet and therefore have no true grasp on the novel only characters like Natsumi or Nia. I am currently trying to read them so that I can do fics involving other characters I haven't done yet. I say this because people didn't know or couldn't have known that I am aware of the events in the light novels. I also thank readers for taking their precious time to inform me of these facts since they didn't know I knew.**


	13. Chapter 13

Ch.13 The Setup

The group is about to warp to their next destination, when Ellen hatches an idea. She tells everyone in a thinking voice.

"Hey why don't we take this ship with us?"

The idea never came to anyone yet, and thinking about it, the ship has enough places to sleep, a fully stocked kitchen, and will save them whatever money they have in long run. Kotori then brings up something that may halt that plan. She points out that if they do in fact take the ship, then they may arouse suspicions from a different Ratatoskr. Despite this, they take the ship anyway under the logic that Ratatoskr wouldn't just attack them without any reason. So Ellen attaches her bracelet to ship'rs weapons mechanism and fires a large time vortex for them to pass through. They also decide to give the ship a new name; they call it Bifrost, named after the burning rainbow bridge.

Moments later, the party and their newly acquired ship reach the next timeline without any problems. They deploy the ships cloaking abilities to stay out of sight since they appeared near the city this time. They then get ready to use the teleporters to descend to the city in the hopes of finding Tohka or Origami, but Aki makes a request of Ellen. The group is together near the teleporters, when Aki asks Ellen in an earnest tone.

"Ellen, can I ask you to do something for me?"

Ellen and Aki haven't interacted much, but she still says in a polite tone.

"Sure, if I can do it."

"I want you to give some pointers with some sword stuff."

"You mean sword training?"

Aki nods with a somewhat down look.

"Yeah, I'm not good with swordplay, but I figure that if I got some training, then I'd be a better help."

Aki realized after he beat Geri, that he needs some training to better use his sword rather than rely on the energy he can use with it since it will make him a better fighter and therefore useful person to the group. Ellen looks a little unsure, but says.

"Our abilities are different, but if it's just with using a sword, then I'll do what I can."

Hiro steps in to the conversation and says.

"You know Aki, I am a kendo champion. Why not ask me to train you?"

Aki shakes his head lightly.

"No, but thanks for offering Hiro. It's just that I'd rather have Ellen do it you know."

Hiro doesn't say anything else since he respects his comrade's wishes and Ellen doesn't oppose it. This is also wise because without any communicators they can't report back to the ship. With all that done, Shido, Kotori, Kurumi, Saori, Mana, Akane, and Hiro all use the teleporter to warp to a safe spot in the city.

Once in the city, Shido and the group debate where to look first; Shido considers looking at the school like he did in Saori's time, but then Kotori notices something, a poster advertising a concert, but what really catches her eye is the name of the musician. Kotori reads what the poster says to everyone.

"It says tonight at six, performing for one night only, Mirai Izayoi!"

The name Izayoi catches everyone's attention. Upon closer inspection of the poster, the group sees a teenage girl wearing a Raizen uniform crossed with an aqua green pop star outfit complete with matching gloves and a emerald pendant ; she has waist length light indigo hair and funnily enough, it is styled the same when Shido had to cross dress as a girl, and she has amber-brown eyes. She is smiling and is winking in the picture while in an idol pose.

As she looks at the poster, Saori thinks to herself.

" _So, this is a Miku timeline. Sounds like the perfect place to have fun."_

Kotori is chuckling a little since Mirai looks a lot like Shido did when he crossed dressed as a girl. Hiro then thinks to himself about the time his mother told him about that time as well and can't help but snicker a little. Kurumi has a mischievous smile as she suggests.

"Why don't we have Shido dress as a girl? Then we'd have twins."

Shido has an annoyed look as he says.

"Yeah, how about we not."

Back to the point, the group thinks that it might be fun to see the show and it even advertises that tickets are free for this show since it is being sponsored by Asgard Electronics as a charity event so paying into it is optional. Everyone agrees and checks the time on their cell phones, but, Hiro, Akane, and Saori's cell phones have different times than Shido's, Mana's, Kurumi's, and Kotori's. This is when they realize that the timeframes are different between the different dimesions which is something they hadn't really taken into account yet. This can mean that years could have passed in the base timeline. However, Kotori points out.

"If that is the case, then we'll have who's ever behind this fix everything."

Shido, at this time, can't worry about this since Tohka and Origami could be in danger, or alone and scared. He wants to make sure that they get home with him. Everyone up to now has been nothing but help on his mission and he can't let that determination be shaken.

He doesn't say anything, but instead looks at a nearby clock that is displayed in the area, and it says one in the afternoon, so they have time before the concert. The party decides to split up and look around town for a little while. Shido, Mana, and Kurumi go off together to look at the school in this time, Saori goes off on her own, and Kotori goes with Akane and Hiro to find out more about Mirai.

Mana goes with her brother because she doesn't like the idea of him being alone with Kurumi. Shido hopes to use this opportunity to talk with Kurumi while they walk towards the school and hopefully get closer to her since he hasn't forgotten about his desire to save her. He is also concerned for her, especially after the fight the Kokoro, so he asks her.

"So how are feeling after that fight with that woman?"

Kurumi casually responds.

"I'm feeling fine. Why do you ask?"

"Well, because I'm worried that you got hurt."

"You don't have to be concerned for me."

Shido gets a little more serious.

"But I am. Kurumi, I want to help you, I want to help Saori, and I want to help Tohka and Origami. I can't do it all alone, but I can do my best and I will do save everyone no matter how hard it is; because I trust everyone, including you."

Mana closely pays attention to Kurumi, since she has a mischivious look as gets closer to Shido and says.

"You trust me? How do you know I won't just leave you, or just plain betray your feelings?"

Mana equip her realizer and shoot, when Shido shakes his head and starts patting Kurumi on her head and replies gently.

"I just said I trust you, so I won't worry about that."

Kurumi just closes her eyes and smile a little more genuine since she is enjoying Shido rubbing her head. Mana backs off but still wants to keep an eye on Kurumi. She walks to Shido asks in a sweet tone.

"Big brother, would you rub my head?"

Shido smiles bigger and uses his opposite hand to rub Mana's head which causes her to put on a big smile. They then continue their way to the school, but they then bump into a gloomy looking girl wearing the Rindouji uniform with an aqua green jacket. She has short black hair with a light indigo fringe in the front, and green eyes. She gets up immediately and leaves without saying anything. Shido wanted to help her up or at the least apologize for not looking, but may get the chance later at the concert if she shows up.

Elsewhere, Kotori and Akane are at an internet café looking up stuff about Mirai, and Hiro is getting them refreshments from the snack bar. The two fire users are sitting next to each other and talk while they do research. Kotori starts it by asking.

"So me and Shido made you huh?"

Akane is oddly comfortable confirming this as she casually answers.

"Uh huh, and you still haven't popped out a baby brother or sister for me yet."

Kotori becomes flustered and says.

"Well that…."

Akane interrupts as she adds.

"Takes time, and your father and I need to work things out, and blehblehbleh."

"Not exactly what I was going to say, but pretty darn close. You ARE my daughter."

Akane gets a little sarcastic as she adds.

"You're not as cool as my mom yet, but give it a couple years."

Kotori then thinks of something.

"Hey, are there any spirits that you know about that we don't know about yet?"

Akane isn't sure of which spirits that the base timeline has seen and says that she needs to be elaborated, but then she sees something that gets her and Kotori laughing. On Mirai's profile page, it says that her real name is Shiori. The idea that she looks almost exactly like Shido in his female disguise, and her name is Shiori, causes the mother-daughter duo to burst out laughing. Hiro rejoins the ladies with beverages and chips for snacks, and then he sees them laughing and out of curiosity, looks at the screen and then begins to smirk himself.

On the Bifrost, Ellen is currently training Aki with some swordplay skills as Aki himself develops his own techniques with his energy abilities in his spirit form. Ellen is equipped with her wiresuite and only uses the blunt edge of her sword to help with the training. After two hours of training, Ellen says.

"Okay, it's time for a break."

Ellen and Aki sit down, drink cold refreshing water, and eat apples for a snack. Ellen wonders about something, so she asks Aki.

"Why did you reject Hiro's offer to help train you?"

Aki looks a little concerned and responds with a question.

"Can I ask you not to tell anybody why?"

Ellen nods and Aki explains.

"There are two people in our group that I don't trust. Those two are Saori and Hiro. Saori is obvious, but Hiro…I can't really explain it, but he has the eyes of a killer."

Ellen puts on a look of confusion.

"The eyes of a killer?"

"I don't think he's evil or a traitor, but he just gives me an uneasy feeling when I'm around him. I don't want Shido to worry, so please don't tell him, Ellen."

Ellen nods but then asks.

"You know, I used to be DEM best wizard, so why don't you distrust me?"

Aki shakes his head and smiles warmly.

"I like you Ellen. You really remind me of my mom, and I consider you a friend."

Ellen smiles and says.

"Well I'm glad to your friend Akihiko. How about we get back to training?"

Aki stands up and readies himself for more training.

Back in the base timeline, Shinra is talking with Westcott who is becoming impatient with his masked partner. He expresses his displeasure rather casually.

"Shinra, why haven't we made in any headway into reaching our quota?"

Shinra answers in a plain tone.

"I dunno, maybe it has something to do with your inept staff."

Isaac retorts.

"Oh, last I checked, Ellen is the only one I sent with some bandersnatches, and yet your three friends have botched it multiple times."

Shinra chuckles a little.

"Touché, but the last time I checked, my three friends haven't come back with holes in their stomachs."

Isaac shrugs and says.

"Okay fair enough."

Ellen returned to headquarters thanks to Freki's help and she had to report her failure. Shinra has mostly been lying low for the time since then and has even called upon Freki to undergo a task to appease Isaacs's impatience. Geri and Kokoro returned to report what happened and Shinra isn't happy with what Kokoro did. He raises his tone to her.

"Kokoro, I told not hurt the girls. Why did you not listen to me?"

Kokoro has worry in her voice as she explains.

"I was just trying to…"

Shinra isn't in the mood for excuses and dismisses her, she runs up to him with tears in her eyes as she desperately says.

"Please don't hate me."

Shinra puts his hands on her shoulders and says.

"I'm mad at you, but I don't hate you. I need you to do something for me now that I think about it."

Kokoro puts on a smile.

"Anything, just name it."

Shinra explains her mission and she leaves with great enthusiasm. Shinra later returns to Isaac with a new plan. He brings up the briefcase that contains those two gauntlets from before, but says that next time Ellen should wear one. Shinra then tells his partner what the weapons are called.

"You see, Isaac, these are called Mana Eaters."

Back in the other timeline, Shido and the others meet up at Tengu stadium after spending the day doing their own things, except Saori who hasn't shown up yet. They can't wait any longer and go inside the stadium. The stadium has is packed with people waiting to hear Mirai sing. Shido and the others look around the snack stands for something to eat during the show, when they hear a familiar voice.

"I want all of these!"

Shido turns to see this world's version of Tohka. She is at a crepe stand buying all the crepes that are being sold. She is wearing a dark plum suit, with a cream colored tie, white gloves, and has her hair in the same fashion only longer. Shido is tempted to talk to her, but then he looks at Hiro who has a mortified look as if he's about to scream. Hiro looks at Tohka and begins to have flashbacks from his time when the Tohka he knew died. He maintains his composure and doesn't make a scene but immediately moves to the seats to see the show. Shido, feeling worried, follows him to make sure he's okay. When Shido sees him, Hiro has a bottle full of pills in his hand and he opens it to take a couple. Shido asks about the bottle and Hiro explains.

"I'm sorry if I worried you. These are my medicine; I suffer from PTSD sometimes. It's triggered when I see somebody I've seen die."

Shido decides not to talk more about this in a public place and lets Hiro's medicine help him privately. The show is almost ready to begin, so everyone starts getting into their seats. Hiro calms back down in a couple of seconds as his the others sit next to him.

Elsewhere, Saori is alone in a park at dusk around six at night. She then looks around and thinks.

" _Maybe I can have a little fun here."_

Saori then goes to a soda machine to buy herself a cold tasty beverage. She puts in her money and reaches to grab when she feels a second can inside the machine and thinks.

" _Hmm, so that's what their game is."_

Saori pulls out the second can and it is just a melon soda with a weird label.

" _Amateurs."_

Saori opens the can of melon soda and takes a long sip. She then collapses on the ground, and a group of three young adults, two males and one female, appear from somewhere else and grab her. They then take her into a van that has been parked elsewhere. A few moments later inside the van, one of the guys says.

"I can't believe we got one, and she's hella fine."

The girl adds while grabbing a video camera.

"Yeah, I never thought that this plan would work."

The second guy then gets ready to take off Saori's clothes, when her eyes suddenly open and she spits out a pill. The three are surprised until Saori says.

"Hey, I'm in the mood for fun. So why don't we get started."

The two guys are excited and prepare to move until Saori tells them to halt and makes a couple of demands.

"First, I'd like the camera, and secondly, we do this my way."

The girl hands Saori the camera and the guys appear to be drooling almost and one asks.

"So what do you have in mind hot stuff?"

Saori smiles as she answers.

"Have any of you three heard of Lingchi?"

One guy answers.

"No, but it sounds kinky."

Saori then says.

"It's Chinese, but we'll go with more western notions."

The three look excited as Saori then puts on a more sinister smile, and moments later outside the van, screaming can be heard.

Back at stadium's backstage, Mirai Izayoi, real name Shiori Itsuka, is getting ready for her show. She is wearing the outfit she wore in the poster and is being talked to by her manager, a girl around her age named Hibiki Keieisha. Hibiki wears a simple brown outfit that makes her look like a secretary; she also wears neon green earphones and has a gold necklace in the shape of a music note, and has a tattoo on her left hand that looks like a metronome. Hibiki is on a cell phone talking about business deals for Mirai and being careful about it. She is chatting rather fast and ends a couple of phone calls with one word. Mirai is taking deep breaths to relax before the show; she does this frequently. Mirai's cell phone begins ringing and she answers it, but when she grabs the phone with her right hand, she winces a little; she happily says upon answering.

"Mother! I was wondering when you were gonna call me."

Mirai usually receives phone calls from her mother before shows. Miku and Shido can't attend the concerts live because recently Miku had a baby boy, and the loud noises aren't good for his ears and Miku loves holding him too much. She wishes her daughter luck and expresses her love, and then hangs up. Mirai then talks to her manager in a casual manner.

"Hibiki, will consider what I was asking you earlier?"

Hibiki pulls down her earphones and answers seriously.

"Shiori we can't afford it right now, and we may have to reimburse the snack stands because of Tohka's appetite. She's a great bodyguard, but she eats too much. So if you want me to even think about it, you have to fire her."

Mirai pouts as she says in a childish tone.

"Well I'm not doing that."

Hibiki shrugs and says.

"Well then, you have your answer. By the way, I got your medicine for you."

Hibiki hands Mirai a plastic medical bag that has medicine in it. Moments later, Mirai then gets the signal to start the concert.

In the audience seats, Shido sits between Kotori and Mana; Kurumi was sitting next to him before, but she got too clingy and Mana made her switch seats. The lights go dim and then music begins playing. The stage lights light up and then Mirai comes dancing on stage holding a mic and addresses the audience.

"Welcome everyone! I hope we have an awesomely fun time tonight. To open the show, I'll sing one of my personal favorites."

Mirai begins to sing a song with a very upbeat tone and everyone starts cheering right away. Shido notices how happy and genuine Mirai looks as she sings. It reminds him of Miku and even then, she gives off a happier feeling. After a half hour of songs, Mirai decides to take a short break so the audience can get more refreshments, use the bathroom ect. Seven minutes later, the show resumes and this time Mirai brings out a guitarist and a pianist who perform the instrumentals from now one. There are two more breaks with ten minute intervals, and then finally after two hours, the concert ends at 8:27 PM, and Mirai tells her audience.

"I wish I could sing for you more, but I'm afraid I've run out of time, but don't be upset, because it won't be long before I sing again for you all!"

The crowd cheers loudly and even the party cheers for Mirai since she gave a stellar performance. As they exit, Shido and his friends can't help but talk about how awesome the concert was. However, as they talk about how great the concert was, they hear police sirens. This made bad when they see police officers escorting Mirai into a police car, and she's crying heavily. Shido runs up to see what happened but is blocked by the crowed. He does see enough though to tell Tohka is upset; he can't hear what she's saying, but he does see her practically destroy a police car by slamming her fist into it. Kurumi then fades into the shadows to find out what's going on. She gets inside the building and remains hidden, but she does find the source of the issue. She sees on the floor of Mirai's dressing room, a girl lying on the ground dead. She doesn't know her, but the girl on the floor is Mirai's manager Hibiki Keieisha.

Kurumi reports everything to Shido. They then get to a safe area and wave to Ellen, who is currently doing a check to see if they are ready to be picked up since Aki became exhausted a little while ago. Aboard the Birfrost, the group decides what to do; they can't leave Mirai like this; Shido believes she didn't do it. The media does in fact say that she murdered her manager. Kurumi considers just breaking her out, but then Hiro objects by saying.

"If we just break her out, then the media will have a field day with it. She won't be able to appear in public again."

Shido agrees with Hiro; he doesn't want Mirai to go through a similar experience her mother did. Also the thought of what Miku may do to help her daughter makes him feel uneasy. Mana then asks.

"So what do we do?"

Hiro gives the answer.

"The only thing we can. We have to defend her by means of the law and the court. We're dealing with laws here, not spirit problems."

Everyone looks at Shido and gives a "why are looking at me" face. Kotor and Akane say back to back with mischievous grins.

"So."

"Shido."

"Will have to."

"Become."

Shido then goes.

"Oh no!"

Kotori and Akane point as they both shout with enthusiasm.

"Shido Itsuka, Ace Attorney!

Shido retorts.

"Why can't Hiro or Ellen do it!?"

Hiro and Ellen have their fingers to their noses and Shido gives them a "really" look. Everyone then notices that Saori isn't with them, so they decide to find her.

Back at the park, Saori exits the van she had her fun in and says.

"Thank you, it was really fun, but you three did give in too fast. Two hours is too quick for this method."

Saori takes the camera she is holding and reviews the recording. She is disappointed and so drops the camera and stomps on it while casually saying.

"I'm no director."

She then is teleported to the Bifrost a little later and is informed about the plan. She then thinks.

" _A trial? Now this sounds interesting."_

Shido has a very uncomfortable look, but the others seem to visualizing him as a lawyer. Kurumi then says what everyone is most likely thinking.

"He needs a suit."


	14. Chapter 14

Ch.14 The Date A Live Turnabout Day 1 Part 1

Mirai Izayoi (real name Shiori Itsuka) has been arrested on the charge of murder and Shido will be her lawyer (under duress) and he knows nothing about the case, Mirai herself, or even how to be a lawyer, but will do what he can for his daughter of this world. The first step, getting a suit; Shido, Aki, and Ellen take him shopping for a suit. Kurumi, Mana, and Hiro are conducting their own investigation using Kurumi's power to sneak into the crime scene. Saori said she has her own plan to help the trial. Finally, Kotori and Akane are setting up a crash course session for Shido to take.

Shido and his two companions are kind of going through a montage. First he tries on a simple gray suit with a red tie and glasses with it, but Aki says.

"Makes him look kind of pathetic, like he should be a balding guy, with a nasally voice, and with a name that sounds like he's constipated constantly or something."

Shido says with an annoyed looks.

"That's awfully specific, Aki."

Without any more words, Shido then tries on a red suit with a white cravat. Shido says with a straight tone.

"Am I trying to look like a lawyer, or Dracula?"

Ellen smiles and says with a sweet tone.

"I think you look handsome, personally."

Aki agrees with Shido and hands him the next choice. This time, Shido is wearing a black suit that appears to be crossed with a samurai haori, Shido then says with an annoyed look.

"Okay, now I feel ridiculous!"

Aki shrugs and responds.

"I think it looks badass."

Ellen adds.

"I think he looks manly."

Shido still decides against this choice because he feels more like a cosplayer rather than a lawyer. Then, finally, they decide on a simple blue suit with a red tie; Aki and Ellen agree on it, but Shido has to point out to Aki.

"Okay, why is this okay, but the gray version of this isn't?"

Aki responds.

"Blue is a cooler color."

Shido shrugs it off since they at least made a decision.

At the stadium, Kurumi and her two followers are currently investigating the crime scene which is Mirai's dressing room. The police are out questioning any witnesses, and the detective in charge is not here. The body has been moved, but the outline the police made is there. The three make use of this opportunity to find any evidence that hasn't already been collected. The dressing room has an unusual touch, it has a bed and the body was very close to it. Other than that, the room is rather typical. It has a mirror and makeup, a guitar case, a TV, and a mini fridge. Mana looks around the outline and the surrounding objects, Kurumi keeps an eye out for the police, and Hiro inspects the bed. On a pillow case, Hiro finds a couple of hair strands, but can't entirely tell what color they are but he can see they are light like blonde or light brown. Upon further inspection of the sheets, Hiro notices that they are a bit too clean especially since the victim died near it and there isn't any blood on anywhere on the bed despite the victim being killed near it.

Mana looks at the guitar case and once she sees inside it, she finds something peculiar. She calls Hiro over to check it with her.

"Hey Hiro, come look at this."

Hiro immediately goes over to Mana to inspect the guitar case, and to his surprise, the case has burn marks inside it with some burnt cloth inside of it. Mana asks for Hiro's opinion.

"So what do think this means, Hiro?"

Hiro thinks for a second and uses his Logic to figure out what the burnt cloth can mean.

"Hmm…. _I got it!_ "

Hiro thinks about the clean sheets and suggests to Mana.

"I think these are what are left a set of bed sheets."

"Bedsheets?"

Mana didn't look at the bed sheets so Hiro explains to her.

"When I checked the bed sheets, I noticed that they are clean despite the victim being killed near the bed. Now I find that odd, don't you?"

Mana nods since she thinks the same thing. She then asks.

"But why would someone burn the bed sheets? Even if they had blood on them, burning them would be twice as suspicious."

Hiro doesn't entirely get it either. Kurumi then says that she sees a person wearing who is most likely the detective in charge. Hiro then quickly makes a plan.

"Mana, you and Kurumi check around the stadium, and I'll stay here and deal with the detective myself."

Mana looks at Kurumi with distrust, but agrees with the plan since they all share a common goal at the moment and Kurumi also hasn't made any suspicious movements. The two girls then leave the dressing room and using Kurumi's powers and leave the rest to Hiro. The detective enters the room, and to Hiro's surprise, it's none other than Hiroto Tonomachi, Shido's friend. Hiro is thinks to himself.

" _Tonomachi's a detective? I thought he was an incompetent boob."_

Tonomachi has the same hair style he had as a teenager, but he wears a green coat with a dark suit underneath with a tan undershirt and a red tie with black pants and loafers. He also has a bandage under his left cheek. He enters the room with a confident smile, and once he sees Hiro, he puts his hand to his head in a confident manner as he says.

"What do we have here? A crazed fan looking through a cute girl's dressing room. I may have to take you into custody."

Hiro is quick to respond, and retorts in a serious demeanor.

"You misunderstand. I am with Miss Izayoi's lawyer."

"Oh really. Well be that as it may, you can't be here. My boys have already investigated this place. If you couldn't already guess, I'm the detective in charge of the case. I know, I'm the best."

" _HMM, maybe I can get some information out of him."_

"Detective, would you be willing to tell some facts about this case?"

Tonomachi runs his fingers through his hair as he responds.

"Nope, I can't do that. If I told you anything then my salary would get cut, and I have a wife to think about."

"A wife?"

Tonomachi whips out his cell phone and shows Hiro his "wife". She is, in reality, an add on to the dating sim Tonomachi always plays that dresses the virtual girl in wife attire and makes her look older.

"Yeah she has expensive taste, but that's what married life is like,I guess."

Hiro feels uneasy about that.

" _Virtual wife? What is this is world coming to."_

Tonomachi puts his phone away and says with his usually smile.

"But just to make things clear, I'll explain why you don't need to be here."

Hiro smiles since he may able to squeeze info from Tonomachi.

" _This may be the opportunity I need. But I better use lawyer talk while dealing with this guy."_

Argument

-Police business-

"Last night, my boys and I got here shortly after we were called."

"We searched this room and the stadium for about three hours."

"We found evidence and questioned a couple of people."

"We collected everything that mattered to this case."

"There, are you happy?"

End

Hiro has his arms crossed and appears to be thinking. He then says.

"I wonder. I'd like to ask you about some of those things you said."

Tonomachi puts his hand to his head again and says.

"Sure, but no asking about evidence."

Rebuttal

-Police Business—

"Last night, my boys and I got here shortly after we were called."

Hold it!

"About what time did the call come in?"

"I guess it won't hurt to tell. The call came in about 8:20"

Hiro thinks about that.

" _So, the murder occurred before the concert ended which was about 8:23"_

Tonomachi continues.

"So, when we arrived…"

"We searched this room and the stadium for about three hours."

Hold it!

Hiro points at Tonomachi as he asks.

"What exactly did you find during the investigation?"

Tonomachi raises his hand puts his fingers to his hair and lifts them out as he answers.

"Now you know I can anything about that, but I can say…"

"We found evidence and questioned a couple of people."

"We collected everything that mattered to this case."

Objection!

Hiro shrugs and then shakes his head with a confident smile. He then asks.

"You collected everything?"

Tonomachi repeats his gesture of fanning his fingers through his hair as he answers with a smile.

"Yup, we found everything."

Hiro then presents the hairs that he found.

"Well then, why did I find these hairs on the bed?"

Tonomachi begins to sweats as he seems surprised.

"Wh-what!?"

"I think that maybe, you didn't conduct a very thorough investigation. These hairs may be vital to the case depending on what a witness may say. So with that in mind…"

Not so fast!

Tonomachi regains his composure and repeats his gesture as he says.

"Hold on, I know why we didn't collect those hairs."

Hiro retains his composure as he responds.

"Oh? Then let's hear it."

"Okay, pal."

-The hairs—

"As you know, this room has bed in it."

"And basic logic dictates that people set their heads on the pillows on that bed."

"Those hairs could have been there days before the murder."

"Tons of people could have set their heads on that bed. Mirai herself, her manager, her band mates, or even her bodyguard."

"So you see, those hairs aren't probably related at all."

End

Hiro doesn't think that much but asks.

"So, that's your logic?"

"Yup, and I can't think of anything else that can be the case. (Whips out cell phone to see virtual wife) Isn't that right Honey?"

A female voice can be heard saying.

"My hubby is the best"

Hiro sighs and thinks.

" _How I worry about this world's law enforcement."_

Rebuttal

-The Hairs—

"As you know, this room has a bed with soft pillows on it."

"And basic logic dictates that people set their heads on the pillows on that bed."

Hold it!

"What makes you think that everyone would set their head on the bed?"

Tonomachi repeats his usual gesture.

"Well, I know I would, and we don't have proof that says otherwise."

"Well, you got me there, I'll give you that."

"Now I'll tell you what I think about those hairs."

"Those hairs could have been there days before the murder."

Objection!

Hiro places his hand to his forehead, extends his index finger, and wags to back and forth against his forehead with a confident smile.

"Detective, would you please look at this."

Hiro presents the burnt cloth to Tonomachi and he asks.

"What am I looking at?"

"This happens to be burnt cloth I found inside that guitar case over there. Now I have a question, why is there no blood on the bed sheets or the pillow cases?'

Tonomachi sweats a bit as he asks.

"I don't know, why?"

"It's because the killer most likely burnt the bed sheets last night after committing the murder. If that's the case, then obviously they must have changed the sheets. So then the question is, who sat on this bed after the sheets were changed?"

Tonomachi continues to sweat until he performs his usual gesture and regains his composure.

"Okay, I'll answer one question truthfully. Besides, I'm a fair person; isn't that right Honey?"

Tonomachi whips out his phone again and the girl says.

"You're the best Hubby!"

Tonomachi smiles and blushes as he says.

"No, you're the best."

"You're the best!"

"No, you're…"

Objection!

Hiro becomes annoyed as he says.

"Can we get back to the topic at hand?"

Tonomachi puts his phone away and waits for Hiro to ask his one question.

Back to Shido; once Shido picks out his suit, he and his friends that are with him go to the precinct to talk to Mirai to convince her to let them take her case. Shido is goes to the precinct alone while Ellen and Aki return to the Bifrost and wait for the others show up.

At the precinct, Shido gets to the visitor area to talk to Mirai. He is a little nervous since he has to meet the current circumstances. He sits in a chair in front of glass window, and waits a minute wearing his new suit. After a moment of waiting, Mirai appears on the other side of the glass with a handkerchief and a brace on her right forearm. Shido is concerned about her arm, but remembers what he is doing. He greets her in a casual manner.

"Hey there, Mirai."

Mirai usually is visibly upset as she is tearing up and wiping her face with the handkerchief. She manages to respond to Shido's greeting.

"How do you do*sniffle*"

She is wearing the same clothes as she was last night during the concert. Shido feels for her but gets to the point.

"Mirai, I want to be your lawyer at your trial."

Mirai is a little surprised by Shido's bluntness and responds.

"You…want to be my lawyer? But I don't really know you. Although I'd like to."

Shido introduces himself but has to think of a fake name.

"Well, my name…Souka Naruhodou( _where did I get that from?)_ _"_

Mirai puts on a slightly less sad look as she responds.

"Well, it's nice to meet you . I guess it wouldn't hurt to for you to represent me. No other lawyer really wants to take my case for some reason."

Shido decides comfort his daughter of this time by making her an offer to comfort her a little.

"Can I bring you anything?"

Mirai keeps wiping her face as she says.

"I can't be brought anything inside the prison, but if I could just see my teddy bear, I'll probably feel a little better."

Shido smiles as he nods.

"So where is your teddy bear?"

"It's in my room at my house."

Shido is a little surprised about her trust in letting him go to her house. Shido feels inclined to ask.

"You're really comfortable with me going to your home?"

Mirai answers with.

"Well, I actually have two reasons. The other is, I want to ask my mother to bail out my bodyguard."

Shido recalls last night when Tohka smashed a police car.

"Wait, was that when…"

Mirai finishes it.

"When the purple hair woman smashed that police car?"

"Yeah, I saw that after your concert. Is she okay?"

Mirai puts on a more normal look.

"Yes, but she is rather upset about the situation. The police said they'd drop charges if we pay for the car she totaled. Oh, you went to my concert! Did you enjoy it?"

Mirai smiles once she hears that Shido went to her concert. Shido smiles and says.

"I loved it. You are a very talented person."

Mirai smiles bigger as she says.

"I'm very glad to hear that. I love singing more than anything…well except my mother and my daddy of course."

Shido is glad that she loves her father. Shido then gets directions to Mirai's home to get her teddy bear and hopefully meet this time's Miku and Shido while he's there.

 **Author's note- If anybody was confused about the way this chapter was styled, this chapter mixes in elements from Phoenix Wright, a series that I am avid fan of. I've wanted to do this for a while now and I did my best to style it the same as the series. I tried changing the text color to match the series, but couldn't. This chapter is only a preview of what's to come in terms of my tribute to two series I enjoy.**


	15. Chapter 15

Ch. 15 The Date a Live Turnabout Part 2

August 1

Tengu Stadium

Mirai's Dressing room

Hiro has been given a chance to ask Tonomachi, the detective in charge, one question. Hiro decides to look around the room to make sure he asks the right question. He decides to check the body's outline and sees the blood stain around the chest area. There are also a couple of blood stains behind the area within a short radius of the where the body was and finds something very interesting on the wall. He checks and he decides what to ask. He asks politely while having his arms crossed with a thinking face.

"Detective, I'd like you tell me about the cause of death and what time it happened."

Tonomachi smiles as he responds.

"Whoa, that's two things, but I guess it won't hurt to tell you about both. I'll give you what I plan to give as my testimony tomorrow, but a little different."

Hiro thinks.

" _If that's the case, then I'll treat this like a cross examination."_

Testimony

-The Cause of Death-

"Okay, so far we know that the victim died between 5:30 and 6:30."

"We could see immediately that she died of blood loss."

"We collected the murder weapon as soon as we found it."

"What it was, I can't tell you."

"However, what I can tell you is that it baffles us as to how it got here."

End

Hiro finishes listening to Tonomachi's pseudo testimony and asks.

"Why did the weapon baffle you?"

Tonomachi fans his fingers through his hair as he says.

"You got your one question, so I can't answer that."

Hiro thinks for a second

" _Hmm, with a testimony like that, Shido won't have much to work with. Then again, he's most likely withholding key information. I'll have to press him hard to get the truth out of him."_

Cross Examination

-The Cause of Death-

"Okay, so far we know that the victim died between 5:30 and 6:30."

Hold it!

Hiro points as he asks.

"Did you find this out from an autopsy? Or is it just a guess?"

Tonomachi fans his fingers through his hair as he answers.

"We have witnesses that claim they saw the victim before the show and a couple of phone records that confirm she was alive until around 5:23, so that's about what we have."

Hiro crosses his arms as he thinks.

" _Well at least he isn't completely inept._ Please continue. _"_

Tonomachi is ogling his cell phone, most likely staring at his virtual wife as he says.

"Sure, when we looked at the victim when we arrived…."

"We could see immediately that she died from blood loss."

Hold it!

"(Pointing gesture) how could you tell that she died of blood loss?"

Tonomachi fans his fingers through his hair again.

"Easy, she was lying in a pool of blood when we found her. It was actually pretty gruesome. I was a little shocked, but my wife was there for…"

Objection!

Hiro gets an annoyed look with his arms crossed as asks with slight irritation

"Can we please not bring your wife into this!?"

Tonomachi puts his phone and smiles and he answers.

"You're right; I shouldn't bring my wife into our serious discussion."

Hiro thinks and asks.

" _Is THIS what he calls a serious discussion?_ Anyway, what was the murder weapon?"

"I can't tell you exactly what it was, but I can assure you…"

"We collected the murder weapon as soon as we found it."

Hold it!

"Can at least describe the kind of weapon it was?"

"Okay, I guess that would be alright."

"It was a bladed weapon, so that means the victim was stabbed to death."

That catches Hiro's interest so he raises an objection.

"Detective, I find that very hard to believe."

Tonomachi then gets a sweat but still keeps his smile as he asks.

"What do you mean?"

Hiro shrugs and says.

"You say that you found a bladed weapon, but I saw something that says otherwise."

"(Still sweating) Oh and what would that be?"

Hiro puts on his confident smile as he says.

"There is something in this room that proves the victim had been shot and not stabbed, and this is that something."

Take that!

Hiro points at the wall and shows Tonomachi a very interesting detail. There is a bullet hole in the wall near the bed and there are tiny droplets of blood around it. Hiro then says with great confidence.

"I saw this bullet hole before I asked you about the murder."

Tonomachi begins to be a little panicked as he asks.

"Then why did ask me about in the first place!?"

Hiro gets a serious look with a frown as he answers.

"Because I wanted to see if you could be trusted to tell me the truth, but clearly you can't!"

Tonomachi backs up a little and tries to defend himself.

"No no no, you've got it all wrong. It was the prosecutor who told me to…(covers mouth with his hands)"

Hiro gets it now.

" _So the prosecutor is the real hindrance in our investigation._ But that doesn't excuse you're behavior today. A police detective being pushed around by a prosecutor is the saddest thing I've ever heard! You're a disgrace to your badge!"

Tonomachi, still sweating, pulls out his cell phone and nervously asks his virtual wife.

"Honey, you think I'm the best right?"

The virtual wife can be heard saying, loudly."

"I'm going to stay with my mother for a while!"

Tonomachi puts on a look of disbelief and he becomes pale as a ghost, and oddly, he actually turns white as a ghost, even his clothes, and he falls backwards onto the ground. Hiro can't help but feel a little bad since he did act a little harsh since he knows that Tonomachi isn't a bad person, but can't forget his current mission. So he asks Tonomachi some more questions about the case feeling a little more confident that he will get the truth now.

August 1

Izayoi/Itsuka Manor

Entrance

Shido arrives at a large house which he recognizes as Miku's home but has been upgraded and can't help but be prepares to knock on the door but realizes that he needs to disguise himself a little better. He backs away from the door and tries to think of a quick change in appearance. Luckily, Shido is approached by Akane, she gets close to him, and she says in a calm tone.

"Shido, you need to pick a better disguise than just wearing a suit, so take this."

Akane hands Shido a small little container that reads: Black hair dye, washes out with water, Shido takes it and immediately gets the memo. Akane pulls out a water bottle, and they do a quick hair coloring. She uses the water to make Shido's hair easier to style and she,combs his back and makes it spike in the back, but Shido sees this in a nearby window says, in an annoyed tone.

"You're enjoying this ace attorney thing too much."

Akane retorts, mischievously.

"Well, I've always had a thing of messing with my dad, so I guess this comes naturally to me. Of course, I love seeing you in that suit."

"And why is that?"

"Well, to it bluntly, nothing suits you like a suit."

"Either way, can you just give me a more normal style!?"

Akane chuckles a little.

"Awe, you're no fun."

Akane uses a little more water and just gives Shido a much more normal style. She merely wets his hair down straightens it, and parts his bangs to the right of his head. Once his hair is a little drier, Shido then applies the hair dye and completes his disguise. Akane dismisses herself so that she can get to Mana and Kurumi to deliver some disguises to them since they may be recognized by somebody, like Tohka or this world's Shido, to say the least.

With his disguise complete, Shido knocks on the front door of the manor and stands outside the door. He stands outside the door a little nervous since he's close to meeting this world's Miku. He's particularly nervous about Miku since she may be the same about men as she was as a teenager, but it doesn't escape Shido's mind that Miku may have gotten completely over it by now. He hears footsteps from the other side of the door, and then the doorknob begins to turn until the door opens, revealing a young boy who looks about seven or eight years old with blue hair like Shido and indigo eyes like Miku; he is wearing a long-sleeved baby-blue shirt with simple blue shorts and white tennis shoes. Shido immediately realizes that this young boy is another one of Miku's children and therefore one of his in this time. Shido smiles at young boy and asks, to maintain his seriousness.

"Excuse me, but may I see your mom or dad?"

The young boy closes the door and Shido can hear fast footsteps getting further away. Shido waits a minute, and then he can hear footsteps getting closer to the door again. This time when the door opens, Miku opens the door; as an adult, she has slightly longer hair with a crescent moon shaped clip, is wearing a white shirt under a thin yellow jacket with a crescent moon on the back, she also has a dark indigo knee-length skirt, and yellow high heels. She looks rather upset and has a red mark on her right left cheek. Shido is concerned about her but still maintains his guise as Miku greets him with a rather calm tone.

"May I help you?"

Shido doesn't have any business cards to give Miku and just says.

"Uh hello… I presume?"

Miku nods her head and Shido continues.

"I'm.. _What did I say again?_...Souka Naruhodou, attorney at law, and I'm your daughter's attorney."

Shido figures that a direct approach may be the best in this particular situation given the circumstances. Miku looks rather surprised and asks.

"Did you say, you're my Shiori's lawyer?"

Shido smiles and nods; Miku doesn't smile, however. Rather, she has a distrustful look on her face as she asks rather distrusting eyes with a plain look.

"Why did you take my daughters case, when no one we called did?"

Shido doesn't blame Miku for being distrustful since she is only concerned for her daughter. Shido gives his honest answer the best way he can as he explains.

"Because, I refuse to believe that she could kill anyone."

Miku doesn't appear to trust Shido; still, she gives him the benefit of the doubt and asks.

"Okay, so why are you here?"

"Well, I'm here because she wants to see her teddy bear. Also, she wanted to ask you to bail out her bodyguard."

Miku is surprised by Shido's last sentence.

"Tohka got arrested!?"

Shido raises his hand in a "calm down" gesture and assures Miku.

"Don't worry about Tohka. Shiori said that she will be let out as soon the police get the money to replace a police she destroyed."

Miku puts on a more trusting expression as she says.

"Okay, since you're willing to my help my daughter, I'll help with whatever I can. Also, I'll bail out Tohka a little later."

Shido smiles since it appears Miku is more trusting of men in this future. To test it further, Shido extends his hand to shake Miku's, and she even extends her arm and almost returns his offer, but she pulls back at the last second and she even apologizes.

"Sorry , but I'm…I can't say. These days, the only males I can comfortably make physical contact with are my husband and my babies."

Shido puts his hand back in the "calm down" position again and says.

"Don't worry about that. The important thing is that we get Shiori found not guilty."

Miku nods and with a weak smile and even invites Shido in. She doesn't recognize him because of his disguise and it will have to stay this way for a while. Miku sits Shido down in a large living room and has a set of tea and cookies laid out for anyone to take. Miku doesn't enter the room right away as she tells Shido to sit and drink tea with cookies, while she goes to grab a couple of things.

Shido takes this opportunity to look at some photos in this room. Shido sees some photos of him and Miku at their wedding in this time. Shido can't help but think.

" _She looks so beautiful and happy in this photo."_

Shido smiles as he looks through the rest of the photos of himself and Miku's life. Photos of his and Miku's wedding, photos of their family expanding; it reminds him of when he met the adult Kurumi and saw her family photos.

Elsewhere, Mana has split up with Kurumi since Kurumi has returned to the Bifrost to track down Saori since she is starting to become suspicious. Mana didn't oppose the idea since she isn't comfortable working with Kurumi in the slightest. Mana is searching down some leads on witnesses, but can't find a place to start since she doesn't know much about the case. Mana is about to give up, when she sees the gloomy girl from yesterday and she appears to be holding something in her hand and it looks like she's trying to keep it hidden. Mana thinks to herself.

" _It is possible she went to the concert last night, but I don't know. I better check anyway since I don't have anything else at the moment."_

Mana approaches the gloomy girl and asks her about what she's holding. The gloomy girl looks as if she's become afraid as she answers a uniquely calm tone.

"I am holding nothing of importance."

Mana can't tell too well, but she can sense that this gloomy girl isn't being entirely truthful. So she tries a more indirect approach, so she asks.

"Okay then. Oh I want to ask, are you a fan of Mirai?"

The gloomy girl's demeanor changes to happy and yet sad but her expression remains the same.

"She is very popular, so it shouldn't be surprising that I am."

Mana presses a little further.

"So I can assume that you went to her concert last night, am I right?"

The gloomy girl nods her head and says.

"Of course, and I was even fortunate enough to win a backstage pass for her concert. They cost a lot and it even came with a free concert ticket, so I didn't have to pay anything for it."

Mana then knows that this girl isn't being truthful as she responds.

"That's funny, last I checked, that concert was a charity event, so you shouldn't have needed a ticket in the first place."

The gloomy girl's demeanor becomes nervous but she maintains her normal expression as she responds.

"Why does it matter that I was at the concert last night? And why does it matter that I had a ticket?"

Mana gets a little more assertive as she responds.

"Because, I can tell that you're lying to me, so show what you're holding."

The gloomy girl then begins to run away from Mana, scared a little, but she can't run from the former adeptus 2. Mana catches up to her in a dark alley. Mana confronts the girl and asks.

"Why are you hiding something from me if it's not important?"

The gloomy girl then says in a quiet tone that can barely be heard.

"I can't let anyone see it, I have to help her."

Mana is now more curious and asks.

"Is her, Mirai, by any chance?"

The gloomy girl doesn't respond, which Mana takes as a yes. Mana then says.

"If you want to help her, then show me what you have. I'm with her lawyer."

The girl calms down a little and says.

"Her…lawyer? I don't believe that."

Mana counters with.

"I'm not her lawyer, but I'm helping him help her."

The gloomy girl thinks for a second and says.

"I want proof. Get her to sign me a letter and I'll tell you anything."

Mana could force the information out of the girl, but would rather not resort to violence and agrees to the girl's terms. So she leaves to go to the precinct.

Aboard the Bifrost, Kurumi has returned to find that Aki and Ellen are training, Kotori is at the captain's seat, and Hiro has also returned with the information he got from Tonomachi. Kurumi then asks Kotori if she's heard from Saori, but she hasn't. Kurumi decides that finding out what Saori is planning, is more important to her at the moment. Kurumi doesn't like the idea of someone being more secretive than her.

Ellen and Aki are continuing with the training since they aren't needed at the moment for the investigation. Kotori has finished with preparing Shido's training program for his case tomorrow. Akane is close to making contact with Mana to deliver her disguise.

Back at the Manor, Shido is just finishing with his look at the photos that Miku has on display. Miku reenters the room, but now she is holding something in her arms, a baby wrapped in a light-yellow blanket. She says to Shido with a soft tone.

"I'm sorry , but I could tell that my baby was about to wake up from his nap."

Shido approaches Miku and tries to get a closer look at the baby. She lets him get close enough to see the baby's face, and Shido sees that the baby has blue hair and amber-brown eyes. Shido has a very warm feeling as he looks upon this infant since this is the first time that he has a actually seen a newborn child that is actually his, in a manner of speaking. Shido asks.

"What is his name?"

Miku kisses the baby on the forehead and answers.

"Motoi Itsuka. He was born just last year."

After some more time looking at baby, Shido and Miku sit down on two different couches that allow them to face each other, and they start talking about anything that can help Shiori. Shido first asks.

"So, what do you know about the case?"

Miku appears upset as she answers.

"That my Shiori was arrested for no reason."

" _I really should have seen that coming."_

"Other than that, I don't know much. I wasn't at the concert in person."

Shido is a little curious and then asks.

"Why didn't you go to her concert?"

Miku looks at her baby and pats his little head as she answers.

"Because the loud noise hurts my baby's ears; he's quite sensitive to loud noises. Instead, I always watch the concerts, live on my television. Also, I keep programs that Shiori sends me, so I can adjust the volume on the television, so that it won't hurt Motoi's ears."

Shido understands; while Miku does love her daughter's music, she also has to think of her infant son. He then asks if he can have the program from last night since it may help later; Miku agrees and hands it to him. The next thing Shido asks, out of his own curiosity.

"Where's Shiori's father?"

Miku is a little confused about why her daughter's lawyer would be curious about her husband, but she answers anyway.

"My darling husband is out in the city somewhere trying to find any help for our daughter. He even said that if he had too, he'd be her lawyer."

Shido thinks.

" _I can't how ironic that actually is."_

Shido gets back to being serious, as he asks.

"Okay, so what about her band mates, the pianist and the guitar player?"

Miku thinks for a second as she is trying to recall some information. She answers.

"I don't know where they are, but Shiori should know."

Without her actually being there, Miku won't be much help, so Shido just asks her about Shiori's teddy bear. Miku produces the bear, which has blue fur and a yellow crescent moon-shaped mark on the left paw. Shido asks where she got the bear, to which Miku answers.

"My darling husband bought this for her when she was three. He and Shiori were spending the day together and she saw it in a toy store. She loves her daddy very much, so this bear reminds her of that wonderful day."

Shido can't help but wonder if Kotori had a hand in that, but he won't argue with it since Shiori loves it. He also wonders if his future, from this time, is out asking Ratatoskr for help, but then again, that also won't help since he shouldn't know about Ratatoskr, in theory. Shido wants to stay and talk with Miku more, but Shiori needs help, and that is more important at the moment. Shido takes his leave and looks back to see Miku rocking her baby in her arms.

In the streets of the city, Mana is walking to the precinct to get the letter to show to the gloomy girl, and then she hears a voice yelling.

"Hold it!"

Mana turns around and sees Akane running towards her. Mana waits for Akane to get closer, notices that she is holding a bag with a label that reads: Trucy's magic shop! Once Akane gets close enough, she stops moving to catch her breath and hands Mana the bag. Mana is a little confused and asks what is in the bag; to which Akane responds, after catching her breath.

"It's your costume. We can't have you walking around in plain clothing since you might be recognized."

Mana looks in the bag, sees her costume, and then retorts, with slight annoyance.

"…Won't this, you know, defeat the purpose of being in disguise?"

Akane just responds.

"Don't argue with me."

Mana decides to go with it and decides to change outfits before going to the precinct. Akane leaves her aunt with a smirk, and finds a place to be teleported back to the Bifrost. Once aboard, Akane is greeted by Kotori, who ask, with a mischievous smile.

"So, did you deliver our little present to Mana?"

Akane, for some reason, puts on a pair of sunglasses and gives the thumbs up, and says.

"At least Mana didn't fight against our little fun like Shido did."

Hiro doesn't notice Akane and Kotori's talking, as he is carefully examining the information he has gotten from Tonomachi. He is determined to help Shiori, just like Shido. In the training room, Aki is continuing his training with Ellen, but she stops him for a minute and asks.

"Aki, don't you think we should help the others with Shiori?"

Aki is getting tired from his training, but he insists.

"They don't need my help"pant""pant" I need to keep training. Please, Ellen."

Ellen nods, and they start up again.

At the precinct, Shido shows up and sees Shiori again. He then presents her the teddy bear, which she can't grab from behind the glass. Never the less, Shiori smiles upon seeing her cherished toy, and expresses her gratitude to Shido, and points out.

"Thank you so much, . Also, did you dye your hair or something?"

Shido comes up with a quick excuse and says.

"I…was at a party two days ago, and forgot to dye my hair back until a little bit ago.

Shiori looks a little confused, but drops it. Shido would like to use his real name with her, but knows that would not be the best idea. With Shiori cheered up, Shido begins to ask some questions that he wanted to ask earlier. He first asks her, in a serious tone.

"Do you know why you were arrested?"

Shiori puts on a sad expression as she answers.

"They think I blamed Hibiki for the scandal."

Shido is concerned at that word.

"Scandal?"

Shiori is a little confused.

"Oh, so you don't know about that."

Shido shakes his head and wants to know about the scandal. To which Shiori explains.

"About three weeks ago, someone began to sell "tasteless" pictures of me on the internet for a sizable price. People are thinking that I'm doing it on purpose, but others think Hibiki took the pictures. I know she didn't do it. She was my best friend."

Shiori begins to cry and pulls out her handkerchief to wipe her face. Shido clenches his fist, without Shiori seeing it, since the idea of someone taking those kinds of pictures of his daughter makes him furious. Shido hides his anger and asks if she knows who took the pictures. Shiori shakes her head and says.

"I don't want to think that anybody I know would do such a thing."

Shido drops the topic for the moment since it clearly upsets his daughter, and asks his next question.

"So, what about your pianist and guitarist."

Shiori puts on a more thinking look as she answers.

"Flugel, my pianist, I think is at…the Gatewater hotel. My guitarist, Axel, should be at his apartment; I can give you the address."

Shido accepts the address since he will most likely need to talk to both Flugel and Axel. Shido is almost ready to leave, when Mana enters the room and sees Shido, luckily, she is aware that he is most likely not using his real name and greets him by saying.

"Oh, hey there.. .Uh, dad."

Shido can't help but think.

" _Dad!? Why couldn't she just call me big brother like she usually does!?"_

Mana is wearing the outfit that Akane gave to her. (Okay, I know this is unorthodox, but basically, she is wearing Trucy Wright's outfit. I only say it like this because her outfit is hard for me to describe properly). As Mana walks towards her brother, Shiori asks Shido.

"You're a dad? But you seem too young."

Shido, once again, makes up an excuse, and responds.

"She's adopted. I took her in after her dad disappeared."

Shiori has a sparkle in her eyes as she responds.

"What a kind man you are."

Shido scratches the back of his head with a slight look of embarrassment. Mana walks up to glass and asks Shiori about getting a signed letter, and asks about the gloomy girl. Shiori agrees to give a signed letter and even knows about the girl; she explains to Mana.

"Her name is Enfer Rimbaud. She may look gloomy, but she is one of the gentlest people I know. I usually send her concert tickets, and she always attends. She's one of my best fans, and one of my best friends. Please don't be hard on her; she went through some tough times."

Mana nods, Shiori gets a pen and paper from a guard since he understands the situation, and because it is only a letter signing, Shiori writes a full letter and hands it to Mana. Mana leaves the precinct and Shido leaves shortly after to go to the address of the guitar player.

A little later, Mana arrives at the alley with the letter and shows it to girl. The girl reads the letter and smiles as she says.

"So you are trying to help her."

Mana asks.

"Why are trying so hard to keep whatever you have hidden?"

The girl then pulls out the item she's been hiding, a bottle covered with some blood. Despite her name being known, the girl formally introduces herself.

"My name is Enfer Rimbaud and I…I…I love her so much."

Enfer starts to cry but oddly has her gloomy smile still as tears run down her face. Mana then follows.

"Well yeah, a lot of people seem to love her, so…"

Enfer interrupts Mana by saying.

"No, I love her in the romantic sense. She means so much to me. Those other people love her music and her cute appearance, but I love who she is and her radiance; the things that people haven't seen in her."

Mana scratches her face a little and says.

"Wow, I can't help but wonder what you're talking about."

Enfer then asks.

"Would you listen to my story? I'm sure you'd understand then."

Mana nods and Enfer begins her story.

"I'm originally from France. But last year my parents went through a terrible divorce, so my father came here to keep his job, but he found out me being…you know. He would shout at me, and call me terrible names. He even made me attend Rindouji Academy, but I'm sure he did it to mock me. Life at the academy wasn't easy either; the other girls would tease me because of my demeanor and because I wasn't a prissy French girl. My grades weren't very great either, and I got into some trouble with the police. I felt like I should just end it, but that's when she came into my life. "

"I accidentally sent an email to the wrong address, one day, while I was secretly talking with a suicide website. The email I got back read: That's terrible. You shouldn't give up on anything, let alone life. I didn't know who it was at the time, but shortly after that, I received another email, and it told me to come to the stadium after it had closed down. I wasn't feeling like I had anything left to lose, so I went. That night, something amazing happened. I came to the stadium, naturally there weren't any people around, but a single spotlight was on a piano that stood on the stage. A voice called to me, and said to sit anywhere."

"I sat down in the front row. Then, out of nowhere, she came to the stage. I thought she was just going to sing a simple pop song, so I told her I wasn't interested. But as I walked away, she started playing the most beautiful piano piece I have ever heard. I walked back to my seat, and then she sang. She sang this wonderful song in a language I didn't know. I was moved to tears. When she finished, Shiori approached me and told me that the song was sung in Italian. To this day, I have no idea of what she sang, but I don't care.

After that, we became friends and she told me to cheer up and that things will eventually get better. Oddly enough, she was right. Not long after that night, my father apologized to me and talked with me like I was a person again. I started making friends at school, and my grades began to improve because we study together. Also, Shiori always talks with me after every just to check up on me."

Mana is dumbstruck by the story and responds, in an empathetic tone.

"Sounds like she really helped get through some tough times."

Enfer shakes her head and says.

"No, she saved my life. Shiori is an angel; she couldn't be anything else, and I'm not the only one she's saved. When she sings, the world is filled with happiness, and nothing feels wrong anymore. I know in my heart that she is the miracle I needed; the miracle that many more people will need."

Mana thinks back to the concert, and realizes that while she heard Shiori singing, she felt very happy. Enfer lowers her head and continues to cry and asks, with true sincerity.

"Help her. I know someone that radiant could never harm anyone."

Mana now feels resolved to help her niece of this time, and tells Enfer, with a serious tone.

"I may not be her lawyer, but I'll make sure she's found innocent, no matter what it takes."

Mana leaves the alley with the bottle covered in blood, and gets teleported back to the Bifrost a little later. She will find out the mystery behind the blood stained bottle since Enfer didn't know what it was about, but wanted to keep it hidden since she wants to help in any way she can.

August 1

Sahwit Apartments

Apartment No.156

Shido arrives at an apartment complex, following the directions given to him to find Shiori's guitar player. He gets to the door and knocks a couple of times. Opening the door is a young man who appears to be 23 or younger. He has short light-brown hair that he wears straight, blue eyes, and a calming smile. He is wearing a leather jacket with a comb dangling from the collar, blue jeans, white biker boots, and fingerless red gloves. Despite his clothing, the man has a very relaxed demeanor. He answers by asking.

"Can I help you, dude?"

Shido introduces himself to the young man.

"I'm Souka Naruhodou, and I'm Shiori's lawyer."

The young man crosses his arms and looks confused as he responds.

"Chidori?...Oh, you mean Mirai, right?"

Shido wonders if he's even at the right place, but the man introduces himself.

"I'm her guitar player, Axel Gibson. That's why you're here, right?

Shido is relieved that he doesn't need to explain himself to the guitar player, and nods. Axel crosses his arms and says with a slightly irritated look.

"But dude, I've already talked with this other lawyer babe. She tried to tell me that Mifry is guilty or something like that, but I was like, no way."

Shido feels like he's talking with some kind of lunatic, but notices he mispronounced Shiori's stage name.

"It's Mirai, not Mifry."

Axel scratches his head as he realizes it himself and says with an awkward smile.

"Sorry dude, but I'm not from these parts, so my pronunciation is off occasionally. I'm actually American."

Now Shido understands a little, but now, hearing about a female lawyer gets him curious. He asks.

"Tell me about this female lawyer, if you don't mind."

Axel describes the lawyer he saw.

"Well, like, she had black, red eyes, but she kept one covered with her hair, a weird outfit that I can't describe, and she was very flirty, I think."

Shido thinks to himself.

" _Sounds like he just described Kurumi, but she doesn't seem like the prosecutor type. Maybe Saori found out and already came here. I wonder why."_

Axel gets Shido's attention.

"Uh, , I already told that other babe all that I know, so why not ask her?"

Shido doesn't disagree, but he's skeptical about what Saori is planning since he hasn't seen her all day. He also thinks that Axel needs to learn better pronunciation since this is getting annoying. He takes his leave of the apartments, and a little later, is forced back on the Bifrost.

August 1

Bifrost

Main Bridge

Shido finds himself back on the Bifrost's teleporter and goes to the bridge and ask about why he was brought back. When he gets to the bridge, Akane immediately hands him a handheld gaming device and holds three game cases in front of his face and says.

"It's time to train!"

Shido realizes that immediately that this is going to be like his other training, but asks.

"What does this have to do with being a lawyer?"

Kotori approaches and explains, in a serious manner.

"You need to learn the "Objection!" pose and the "Hold it!" shout, and some other stuff. But I recommend skipping Justice for all, since we're short on time."

Akane disagrees and retorts, along with Kotori retorting.

"Skip Justice for all!? That was a great game!"

"But the prosecutor wasn't that interesting compared to the others."

"Maybe, but it had one of the most shocking moments in the series!"

"Not as shocking as the reveal in Trials and Tribulations, and you know what I'm talking about!"

The bickering continues, so Shido decides to just boot up the game and get started so he can focus on the case. Hiro and Mana look over the information that they have collected while Shido is training. Aki and Ellen join in the thought session a little later after training all day. Kurumi is in the city looking for Saori.

After hours of searching, Kurumi finally tracks down Saori. She is found at a local clothing store, buying a new outfit. Kurumi confronts her at the entrance. The two then decide to talk somewhere private, so they go into a local bathroom with a lock on it, and talk. Kurumi asks, with her straight face.

"Saori, why are you walking around on your own?"

Saori maintains her usual look, like her mother, and responds while holding up her bag.

"I simply wanted a new outfit, so I bought this cute number."

The two exchange words with their straight faces, starting, of course, with Kurumi.

"I don't think I like that answer."

"No? And why's that?"

"Well, I don't trust you."

"Oh, now that hurts."

"But surly you know that none of us actually trusts you."

"Shido does."

"No, Shido only wants to trust you, but I don't think he truly does."

"Are you forgetting that we're talking about the same person who trusts you? Miss mass murderer, who toyed with him, the same girl who tried to make him give up on her. Oh my, now that I think about it, my mom really is a bitch."

Kurumi bites her lip a little, and Saori continues.

"Not that I oppose that. After all, I'm the product of the love between a man, who was willing to overlook those details, and the mass murdering spirit known as Nightmare. So I honestly couldn't care less of what he thinks about you. But I must say that you're too soft in your methods. _Which is why my plans for the two of you will succeed."_

After the moment has passed, the two are teleported back to the Bifrost to talk about anything that they've discovered. Saori admits that she has indeed talked with Axel and even with Flugel. Although she admits that they didn't know anything worth anything. But everybody is skeptical about what she says, but they don't have much choice since it is beginning to get dark out. Shido continues his "training" while Ellen makes coffee for him to drink since he's going to need it. The group has less than twenty-four hours to figure out this case and prove that Shiori is innocent. Shido also wants to figure out who took those pictures of his daughter, and have nice chat with them.

 **Author's note- Next time, without a doubt, will be the trial and no more investigating days, but others will appear in the trial. Also, one Phoenix Wright character will physically appear as a one time crossover character, and it will be an obvious choice.**


	16. Chapter 16

Ch.16 The Date A Live Turnabout: Trial Day

After hours of training, seventeen cups of coffee, and a lot of help, Shido is ready to defend Shiori in the trial. However, he didn't finish all three games due to their length and attention to detail. Shido has bags under his eyes due to his lack of sleep. The others let him sleep while they go over the evidence they've gathered so far. The evidence they have and the ones they know of are:

1\. Charred bed sheets (Discovered by Hiro, Mana, and Kurumi)

2\. 9mm Pistol with silencer (thanks to Tonomachi's information)

3\. Bag of prescription medicine without medicine. (Provided by Tonomachi)

4\. Guitar case with broken lock (Inspected by Mana)

5\. Bottle of medicine (Painkillers) with bloodstains around the bottle (Given to Mana by Enfer Rimbaud and confirmed by Hiro.)

6\. Bullet hole surrounded with blood (Found by Hiro)

7\. Photo of the crime scene before the body was taken away (Given to Hiro by Tonomachi)

8\. The strange strands of hair of a light color (Discovered by Hiro and Mana)

9\. Concert program (Given to Shido by Miku)

With this evidence, the group should be able to hold their own in court. Mana has decided to join her brother in the court as his legal aide. They don't know exactly who is going to testify in the trial besides Tonomachi. With all this done, Shido and Mana go to the courthouse and meet with Shiori to get her found innocent.

August 3, 9:47 AM

District Court

Defendant Lobby No.2

Shido and Mana meet with Shiori without a piece of glass separating them. Shiori is visibly upset since she looks like she hasn't stopped crying for hours. To cheer her up, Shido hands her the teddy bear she loves so dearly since they aren't in the prison anymore. The moment she holds her bear, Shiori smiles and appears to cheer up a little; she thanks Shido and asks him, in a scared tone.

"Everything will be okay, right?"

Shido isn't very confident in his abilities as a lawyer since this is the first, and probably only, case he's ever done. Nonetheless, he assures her that she'll be okay as long as he's around. Mana walks up closer to Shido and whispers in his ear.

"We have to win this case, big brother."

Shido agrees, and also asks.

"What did you pick for your fake name?"

Mana tilts her hat and, falsely, introduces herself to Shiori since she didn't before.

"I'm Minunki Naruhodou, master magician."

Shiori's eyes light up with excitement as she exclaims.

"Oh my, I had no idea. That sounds amazing. What kind of tricks or illusions can you do?"

Mana didn't think about that part, and instead she bashfully taps her fist to her forehead with her tongue slightly sticking out. Shiori gets a blush and says.

"That was adorable."

Being Miku's daughter, Shiori has a liking for cute girls like her mother, but has absolutely nothing against men. Shido talks to Shiori about his meeting with her mother, but this confuses Shiori as she says with questioning.

"I thought that mother was over her man phobia; she's never had any problems with men since I was a little girl."

While Shiori is wondering, someone shouts at Shido from behind.

"Hey! I've got something to say to you!"

Shido turns around and sees this world's Tohka; she is wearing the same clothes that she had at the concert. She has a very serious look on her face as she demands.

"You better get Shiori off the hook. If you don't, I'll…I'll.."

Shiori walks up to Tohka and rubs her head, just like her father, and says in a soothing tone.

"Now..now, Tohka, we must have faith in . He's a good man, and I trust him."

Tohka calms down, but she still walks up to Shido and explains.

"I was called here to testify, I think, and they told me to say what I saw. So I'll just say I saw someone go into Shiori's room and shot Hibiki, okay?"

Shido catches that and retorts, very seriously.

"So you're suggesting that we lie!?"

Tohka maintains her serious demeanor as she replies.

"She didn't do it, so we have to get her off the hook, right?"

Mana approaches Tohka and explains, in a sincere and serious manner.

"Tohka, we can't lie here, if we do, then it will only make us, and Shiori, look bad. We have to win this with the truth and nothing else."

Shiori nods in agreement, and softly asks Tohka.

"Tohka, will you promise me that you'll tell the honest truth?"

Tohka puts on an earnest smile and nods at Shiori. Shiori then goes to use the bathroom before the trial starts. Shido takes this opportunity to say something to Tohka, he says it in a sincere tone.

"You must really care about Shiori."

Tohka bits her lip a little and puts her right hand on her left arm as she says with her face turned away.

"Well, to tell you the truth, I have feelings for her father, but he didn't love me back apparently."

Shido hadn't really thought about it yet, but in all the timelines he has visited, he must have not thought about the others girls feelings. However, Tohka adds something that makes him feel better.

"But he's still the kindest man that I know, he's always welcomed me in his life and for that, I'll always love him, and his children."

Shiori returns, and is ready for her trial. Mana tells Shido.

"Now let's win this thing. We can't let everyone's hard work be for nothing."

Shido agrees and is now ready for the trial. With everything said, the time has come for the start of the trial. Unfortunately, the others will not be joining the trial since they have to keep an eye out for anyone that might attack the city. Even Shiori's parents aren't around.

August 3, 10:00

District Court

Courtroom No. 2

Shido and Mana go to their stand and await the trial to start. The sound of a gavel hitting a small pedestal echoes throughout the court. At the judges stand sits a old looking man wearing a black judges robe with a red tie and white shirt underneath. He has a rather simple appearance with a bald head and a great grey beard on his face. He looks serious as he announces.

"The court is now in session for the trial of Ms. Shiori Itsuka."

Upon the announcement, the prosecutor in charge of the case suddenly becomes visible to Shido and Mana, and they both think.

" _No way!"_

Because at the prosecutor stand, is Saori (Dressed as Franziska von Karma). She has dyed her hair black like Shido and has a mischievous smile as she says.

"The prosecution is ready, your honor."

The judge looks awed as he utters in a surprised tone.

"I must say, you look rather young to be a prosecutor, miss…"

Saori introduces herself using a fake name.

"Mei Mitsurugi, your honor."

The judge looks at Shido and is notices that he is also young, and states.

"My, we must have two very promising young lawyers present in my court. I must say, I feel out of place."

Shido takes a good look at the judge and asks.

"Didn't I see you in a videogame?"

The judge nods his head as he answers.

"My grandchildren are fond of these new types of games, so I agreed to let a certain company use my image in their games."

Shido would like to ask more about the judge's resemblance to the judge in games he played last night, but has much more important things to do. So, after delaying, Shido finally says.

"The, um, defense is ready, Your Honor."

Shido did think that this would happen, be he really hoped it wouldn't, he's nervous. He begins to panic a little and thinks.

"Throat clenching, vision fading, room spinning…"

Mana pats his arm and smiles as she says.

"Don't worry so much. We're not alone in this."

Shido takes a deep breath and the judge takes notice of this as he asks.

"Are you sure you're up to this? Murder is a very serious charge, and I must say that I'm not pleased to see such a promising young lady being charged for such a crime."

Shido then says, with more confidence."

"The defense it definitely ready, Your Honor."

The judge nods and then proclaims.

"Very well, prosecutor Mitsurugi, will you explain to the court, the details of the crime at hand?"

Saori smiles as she says.

"Gladly, Your Honor."

Shido feels uneasy since he has no idea of what Saori will say or do. Saori then explains.

"Two nights ago, a young lady named Hibiki Keieisha was murdered at about 6:30 PM. She was killed by a bullet shot from a 9mm pistol, which was recovered at the scene. The scene is the defendants dressing room at Tengu stadium. She was performing a live concert on the night in question."

The judge asks.

"Are you certain that the victim died of a gunshot injury?"

Saori then extends her arm and snaps her finger as she says.

"I have to autopsy report right here, Your Honor."

(Autopsy report submitted to evidence)

Saori continues.

"Our little defendant was arrested on the spot, and with good reason. She was discovered at the crime scene at the time that the police arrived, but the one who originally called the police is my first witness. Her motive, of course, she believed that the victim, her manager, took lewd photos of her and sold them for a sizeable fee."

The judge is a little surprised by this and says.

"I must say, this trial is off to a fast start."

Saori puts her arms on her desk as she has her head lying against the back of her left hand and waging her finger with the other as she confidentially says.

"Well, I do hate to prolong the inevitable, so I'll call my first witness. I had originally intended to have a certain police detective come to testify, but he isn't feeling very well."

Shido is not happy with Saori for making the accusation she has, but doesn't get her intentions yet. The judge nods as the first witness is called. Naturally, Tohka is the first witness. She walks up to the stand and the judge asks.

"Your name and occupation, if you please."

Tohka plainly says.

"Tohka Yatogami, I'm a bodyguard in charge of protecting Shiori."

The judge is stunned again as he says.

"A bodyguard? The young people of today are taking too many of the serious jobs. I fear my job will be next."

Saori becomes a little annoyed as she says with a serious tone.

"Witness, will tell everybody what happened on the night in question."

Tohka looks uncomfortable as she says.

"Yes, I will."

Shido thinks to himself.

" _Tohka, please tell the truth, please!"_

The judge then says.

"Okay, please tell us what happened. Don't be shy."

Tohka nods.

Testimony

-What happened-

"I had just gotten to my post around 6:00, after having a pre-concert snack."

"I always stand outside Shiori's dressing room. That day was no different."

"Around 6:30, Shiori left her dressing room to get the concert started"

"I don't know when Hibiki entered, or left the room."

"Some time later, I heard a loud noise."

With a sad look "The next thing I knew, they arrested Shiori."

End

Shido thinks.

" _Tohka, this must be really hard, but at least she's being honest."_

Mana looks Shido and says.

"So far, everything seems okay, but there is one thing."

Shido nods as he says.

"Yeah, I think I see it too."

Saori, in her waging and head lying on her hand position, says.

"I think it's time for the defense to cross-examine my witness."

Shido now thinks that Saori must have seen it as well, but then asks Mana, silently.

"Cross-examine?"

Mana smiles and says.

"You're training, remember? Just press her on what she said and show evidence to the court."

Shido remembers and nods. He then says.

"I'm ready, Your Honor."

Cross-Examination

-What happened-

"I had just gotten to my post around 6:00, after having a pre-concert snack.""

Hold it!

Shido rubs his chin with his finger as he asks.

"Pre-concert snack? Is this common when you work?

Tohka has a little drool on her face as she says.

"Of course! I always eat a snack before Shiori goes on stage. This time I had many things from the snack stand."

Shido is not surprised by that, and ask.

"Is there anything else that you always do at Shiori's concert?"

Tohka nods as she says.

"Of course…."

"I always stand outside Shiori's dressing room. That day was no different."

"Around 6:30, Shiori left her dressing room to get the concert started"

"I don't know when Hibiki entered, or left the room."

Hold it!

Shido stands straight as he asks.

"You don't know when Miss Hibiki entered the dressing room originally?"

Tohka shakes her head as she explains.

"No, Hibiki usually spends most of her time in Shiori's dressing room, so I didn't think much of it. (Sad look) Hibiki really cared for Shiori.

Objection!"

Saori wags her finger as she exclaims, rather coldly.  
"So what of it? Humans betray their friends. It's a harsh truth."

The judge shakes his head as he retorts.

"I must say Prosecutor Misturugi, that is a pessimistic life view."

Saori shakes her head as she replies.

"But it is true, Your Baldness."

The judge's eyes widen as he exclaims.

"Excuse me!"

Shido breaks up that impending argument by asking Tohka, rather awkwardly.

"So, is there anything else that DID seem weird, Miss Tohka?"

Tohka crosses her arms and tilts her head as she says.

"Now that you mention it…"

"Some time later, I heard a loud noise."

Hold it!"

Shido rubs his chin, and asks.

"What kind of noise was it?"

Tohka thinks for a second and then answers.

"Oh, it was like… a ban….it was a gunshot! Yeah, it was a gunshot."

Shido catches this one and smiles as he thinks.

" _Now this one I can see through._ Miss Tohka, will please tell us more about this gunshot?"

Tohka nods and says.

" I heard a gunshot some time later!"

Objection!

Shido slams his hands on his desk as he explains.

"Miss Tohka, I find it weird that you heard such a noise."

Tohka looks confused as she asks.

"What do you mean?"

The judge nods as he requests.

"Yes, why is that weird, ?"

Shido presents the murder weapon and explains, while tapping his fingers against some paperwork that he suddenly produces.

"Simple, the murder weapon, a 9mm pistol, was found equipped with a silencer; now, I find it strange that the witness could even hear such a noise. Clearly, a contradiction."

(Que Objection theme)

The judges eyes widen as he says.

"Why, you're absolutely right, that is strange."

Objection!

Saori is back to waging her finger while her head is lying on her hand as she explains.

"Oh, Souka, you fail to realize a simple truth to that contradiction."

Shido is getting nervous as he asks, while sweating.

"What do you mean?"

Saori stands up straight, extends her arm, and wags her finger.

"Tsk tsk tsk, you shock me. The defendant fired the gun, and then equipped the silencer to the weapon. I spoke to the defendant yesterday, and she showed a bit of ignorance about firearms, so I find it normal that she would make such an error."

Shido can't believe his ears; however, the judge nods in agreement as says.

"Prosecutor Misturugi has a point."

Shido is getting more nervous, but Mana taps his arm again, and suggests.

"Why don't we get Tohka to talk about the events surrounding the gunshot?"

Shido likes the idea, and asks.

"Miss Yatogami, would you tell us more about the gunshot?"

Judge looks at Saori and asks.

"Does the prosecution have any objections?"

Saori remains silent, showing that she is in agreement. The judge then asks Tohka.

"Miss Yatogami, would you please tell us more about what happened?"

Tohka nods slightly and explains about what happened during that time.

Testimony

-The gunshot-

"It was around 8:10 at night. I checked my cell phone to keep track of time."

"I was standing in the hallway near Shiori's dressing room."

"And I heard the gunshot coming from the dressing room, and went to check it out."

"But the door was locked, so I called the police using my phone."

"But I didn't know that Hibiki was the one who was shot."

End

The judge shakes his head as he tells Tohka.

"Young lady, you did the right thing by calling the police."

Tohka doesn't cheer up, but tells the judge.

"Uh, , I'm in my late thirties."

The Judge is stunned as he says.

"Late thirties! But you look so young."

While the Judge is gathering his thoughts, Shido thinks.

" _8:10, then that means Shiori was on stage at the time. She couldn't have done it!"_

Mana looks at Shido and, sadly, tells him.

"She lied to us."

Shido is surprised and says.

"What, but she said…"

Mana shakes her head and says.

"Think about what she just told us, and look at the evidence."

Cross-Examination

-The gunshot-

"It was around 8:10 at night. I checked my cell phone to keep track of time."

Hold it!

Shido puts his hand to his chin, and asks.

"Are you sure that it was 8:10?"

Tohka looks a little irritated as she answers."

"Of course, I'm sure of it. I said I checked my phone."

Shido presses harder on it.

"But are sure…."

Objection!

Saori wags her finger at Shido as she tells him.

"Please refrain from badgering my witness, or is there something wrong with her testimony?"

Mana looks serious as she tells Shido.

"So, she did see it. Shido look at something we have."

Shido doesn't fully understand, but that changes, once he looks at something he didn't fully look at yet. Then we he looks at "that evidence" he pulls it out.

Take that!"

Shido pulls out the autopsy report and slams his hands on his desk as says, seriously.

"Miss Yatogami, you lied just now in your testimony!"

Tohka becomes angry as she says.

"I did not!"

Shido pulls out some paperwork and smacks his hand against the papers as he explains.

"Just now, you claimed you heard a noise at 8:10, but I think that sounds fishy. Considering that the murder occurred around 6:30!"

Tohka gets a shocked expression and begins to sweat. Shido doesn't like what's going on, but the truth has to come out, so he slams his hands on his desk and declares.

"Miss Yatogami, tell us the truth! What time did you actually hear the gunshot?"

Tohka is clearly getting nervous and starts to sweat a little, and even loosens the collar of her suite, which she continues to do. She nervously says.

"Well..I .."

The judge looks at Tohka with anticipation as he says.

"Well, Miss Yatogami, what time did you hear the gunshot?"

Tohka becomes more visibly upset (making it a good thing that her powers aren't acting up) as she finally shouts.

"Okay! I didn't actually go to Shiori's dressing until about 7:20! I was eating my snacks for a while, okay!"

The judge's eyes widen as he exclaims.

"7:20!? That's a very long time for someone's bodyguard to not be, well, bodyguarding."

Saori starts chuckling as her body can be seen moving up and down a little. She tilts her head back as she explains.

"Our little bodyguard has quite the voracious appetite. I talked with the snack vendors, and they sold all of their goods to her."

Shido takes this moment to raise a point; since he and Mana have realized something.

"Your Honor, Miss Yatogami's new point has raised a new question, did she even hear a gunshot in the first place?"

Tohka gets defensive as quickly retorts.

"I did, I swear I did!"

Objection!

Saori wags her finger as she tells the judge.

"Your Honor, I say we dismiss this witness. She clearly has no real intentions of telling the truth."

Mana looks at Shido as she suggests, rather conflicted.

"Shido, I think Saori has a point. Tohka hasn't been telling the truth so far."

Shido thinks to himself.

" _Tohka…I want to help Shiori as much as you do, but I don't know…"_

The judge looks at Shido and asks.

" , do you have any objections to dismissing the witness?"

Shido thinks for a moment, and then says his answer.

"Your Honor… I think we should give the witness one more chance. One more chance to tell us the truth."

The judge looks as if he's thinking. He then looks at Tohka, and asks.

"Will you tell us the truth this time?"

Tohka has pleading eyes as she answers.

"Yes, I promise."

Saori stands up straight as she expresses her opinion.

"I disagree. The witness is too closely connected to the defendant. She will most likely lie to protect her."

The judge shakes his head as he responds.

"I agree with , I am willing to give the witness one more chance."

Tohka looks grateful as she readies to tell the "real" truth.

Testimony

-What really happened-

"Okay, so I got my snack at 5:40…I think"

"I found a quiet bench to sit at, and ate my food, which took a while to finish."

"I DID hear a gunshot at around 6:30, but I didn't think much of it."

"I finished around 7:13, but I used the bathroom first."

"Then, finally, I got to my post at 7:20."

"But, Shiori never entered her dressing room, I swear."

End

The judge looks at Tohka with a very serious expression, and asks.

"Are you sure that's all?"

Tohka looks at the ground, but has a very honest tone as she answers.

"Yes…the only other thing that matters was Shiori getting arrested."

The judge nods since he clearly wants to trust Tohka's new testimony. Mana looks back at her brother and looks happier as she tells him.

"I think she told the truth this time."

Shido smiles since Tohka is being honest, and this may make it easier to draw the true line to the truth.

Cross examination

-What really happened-

"Okay, so I got my snack at 5:40…I think"

"I found a quite bench to sit at, and ate my food, which took a while to finish."

"I DID hear a gunshot at around 6:30, but I didn't think much of it."

Hold it!

Shido scratches his head with confusion as he asks a question most people would ask.

"Why didn't you think much of a gunshot?"

Tohka smiles as she answers.

"Because Shiori's opening song was "Shot of Love". She has a gunshot effect sound off occasionally during the first part."

Shido looks at the program and reads the songs that Shiori sang that night.

6:30 Shot of Love

6:35 Heart (FYI this is real Vocaloid song, and not a name I just came up with. But the real name is Kokoro)

6:50 Starduster (FYI this is real Vocaloid song, and not a name I just came up with.)

7:00-7:07 Break

7:12 Lovely World

7:20 The True Choice

7:25 Melt My Heart

7:30-7:40 Break 2

7:41 Nostalgic Days

7:56-8:06 Break 3

Note: TVs will not be airing these songs due to legal issues.

8:10 The Greatest Feeling

8:16 Heartfelt Lullaby

8:27 End of concert

Tohka notices that Shido is reading the program, and points out.

"That program doesn't say anything about the fourth song that Shiori sang. She actually changed "Lovely World" to "Guilty Love"."

Shido is curious about this and asks.

"Why did she do that?"

Objection!

Saoir has her straight expression as she declares.

"That has nothing to do with the case."

Shido argues.

"But what if the reason she changed the song was because of something that happened?"

The judge is skeptical, but says.

" may be correct. Objection denied."

Tohka explains.

"Shiori hurt her arm some time ago. She got a new guitar player a few months ago to help with that."

That gets both Mana and Shido curious, as Shido asks.

"How would a new guitar player help her arm?"

"Because, Shiori used to play guitar herself, but once she hurt her arm, she needed to get someone to play for her. She changed the song because he can't play the guitar riff for "Nostalgic Days" quite right yet."

Mana thinks to herself.

" _That girl can sing, play piano and guitar, speak Italian, and dance. I can't help but be impressed."_

Aside from that, Shido wonders about something else.

"You mentioned that Shiori hurt her arm. How did that happen?"

Saori jumps in as she answers it for Tohka.

"Shiori fractured her forearm eight months ago. She wears an arm brace to help with it, but her constant waving, signing, and piano playing didn't help with her recovery. I have the medical report right here."

(Doctors Report added to evidence)

Shido and Mana read the report.

Patient: Shiori Itsuka

Physician: Reine Murasame

Diagnosis: Fractured wrist from impact with marble floor.

Treatment: Medication and wearing an arm brace until further complications rise.

Saori continues.

"The defendant fractured her forearm when she fell off the stage during a show at a store opening."

That explains why Shiori is wearing her brace, but Shido feels like raising a point.

"If her arm is fractured, then wouldn't it shatter her already fractured arm?"

Saori responds.

"Hardly, she could have used the opposite hand, or better yet, the gun itself doesn't have that kind of recoil."

Shido gets a little frustrated.

" _Damn, why did I have to have such a clever daughter? I don't know whether to be proud or sad right now!"_

Saori smirks as she continues to talk.

"Thank you Miss Yatogami, because now I am certain that the defendant is guilty."

Tohka gets upsets and shouts.

"NO SHE ISN'T!"

The judge looks at Tohka and demands.

"The witness will refrain from outbursts, or I will be forced to remove her. Miss Mitsurugi, I hope you have something interesting to say."

Saori stands straight and shrugs.

"Of course, Your Honor. I have something VERY interesting to say."

Shido and Mana are getting more uneasy since Saori has the advantage in this trial. What she says could impact the trial, and without help from the others, Shido and Mana are going to have to prepare quickly.

To be continued...

 **Author's Note- I had to go with the judge. Also, I meant to establish the date as August 2 in the last chapter, but I think I labeled it as August 1 in some cases.**


	17. Chapter 17

Ch.17 The Date A Live Turnabout: Trial Part 2

Saori, under the fake name of Mei Mitsurugi, is about to say something that gets Shido and Mana exceptionally worried. Saori has an uneasy smile as she explains.

"Something was bothering me up till now. That something was this, if our little defendant is devilish shooter, then when did she make the time for this?"

Saori presents the burnt sheets that Hiro and Mana found yesterday. Judge's eyes widen as he asks.

"Prosecutor Mitsurugi, what is it that you are showing us?"

Saori smirks and says.

"Bedsheets that were found burned inside a guitar case that was found in the defendant's dressing room. I thought it would be strange that the defendant killed the victim, and not try to cover it up. But thanks to Miss Tohka's testimony, I now know that she did."

The people in the gallery start erupting with voices, and the judge slams his gavel.

"Order! Order! I will have order!"

Shido is sweating as he thinks.

" _Saori, please don't say anything too damning."_

"As we know, the victim was killed around 6:30, which means that she could have been killed anywhere between 6:25 and 6:35, but the defendant was seen on stage at 6:33; thanks to camera images that we collected. So that means, she must have killed the victim between 6:25 and 6:29. She then leaves to the stage and performs her first session. Then, during the first brake, she goes back to the dressing room immediately, and then she tries to, crudely, cover up her crime. The first brake was between 7:00 and 7:07, but the actual song didn't begin until 7:12. This means that there is an eleven minute gap between the songs; which is plenty of time to burn some bed sheets."

Objection!

Shido slams his hands on his desk and points his finger as he asks, desperately.

"Do you have proof that she ever left the stage?"

Shiori lowers her head and is snickering as she replies.

"Of course, , I have a witness that can testify to this. So we'll dismiss this lackluster bodyguard."

Tohka tries to convince the judge to let her stay.

"But I have more to say!"

Objection!

Saori wags her finger as she tells Tohka.

"We've heard enough out of you. So please leave peacefully."

Shido thinks for a second, and Mana tells him.

"We should let her go for now. She won't be much help like this."

Shido listens to Mana's advice and doesn't say anything. Tohka is escorted off the stand, and moments later, another person takes the stand, Axel Gibson, Shiori's guitar player. Saori then asks the usual question.

"Your name and occupation?"

Axel is dressed the same as yesterday, and has a look of confusion.

"My name…Oh, Axel Gibson, I play guitar for Me-rice."

The judge now looks confused himself, so Saori explains.

"Forgive his confusion. He's not used to using names in our fair language yet."

Axel now puts on a normal smile and says.

"Dude, like, you're that lawyer dude, and lawyer babe, I met yesterday. Yeah, Mr. Not-A-Hotdog, and Ms. Pea-soup-boogie."

Shido is now confused and thinks.

" _Wow, this jerk can't get names more wrong if he tried."_

Saori has annoyed look as she demands.

"Let's skip the formalities. Witness, tell us about what you saw during the first break."

Axel looks confused again and says.

"OOOOOOOkay."

Testimony

-What Axel saw—

"Okay, so, like, during the first break, I was taking a nap in the green room."

"I got up to take a walk to stretch before I went on."

"I was walking around the hallways, and I saw Story walking by her dressing room."

"I think it was around 7:09 when I saw her."

End

Shido is rubbing his chin with finger and has a thinking expression as he asks.

"Are you sure it was her?"

Axel continues to have his confused look as he follows.

"Yup, she looked like how she does in the poster. Here's one right here; just in case you don't remember."

(Axel gives Shido a poster of Shiori meant as a promotion for the charity event. Submitted as evidence.)

The judge nods shakes his head and expresses his own opinion in s somewhat sad tone.

"It very much troubles that seeing a young lady this innocent looking could be a killer. But I can't let personal feelings cloud my judgment."

The judge looks as if he's about to announce his verdict, so Shido immediately says.

"I'm ready to cross examine the witness."

Saori smirks again at her stand and thinks.

" _Little Shido, so desperate to help. Yet he has no clue what I really want from trial. I'll be the one laughing at the end."_

Cross examination

-What Axel saw—

"Okay, so, like, during the first break, I was taking a nap in the green room."

Hold it!

Shido stands straight and asks.

"How long was this nap?"

Axel simply replies.

"Like, I took it at 4:50, and woke up at 7:00. I was feeling pretty tired."

Shido tries pulling at strings with his next question.

"Then isn't it possible that you were too drowsy to be sure on anyth…"

Objection!

Saori wags her finger at Shido again, and mischievously says.

"What did I say about badgering my witnesses?"

The judge shakes his head.

"The defense will refrain from unnecessary questions."

Shido gets starts sweating again.

" _Crap! The judge is with Saori on this."_

Axel continues.

"Okay, so…"

"I got up to take a walk to stretch before I went on."

"I was walking around the hallways, and I saw Story walking by her dressing room."

Hold it!

Shido is too nervous to ask his question at this point, so Mana pats his back a little and tries to comfort him.

"Big brother, hold your breath, make a wish, count to three. You can do this."

Shido smiles and tells her.

"Thank you, Mana."

He regains his composure and clearly asks.

"Are you sure that you saw Shiori in the hall?"

Axel seems a little annoyed now, but he kindly says.

"Yeah, I remember because of her outfit. Her aqua-green outfit, her matching gloves, and her ruby pendant."

Mana taps Shido's arm and says.

"Shido, I think we got something. Tell him to add it to his testimony, and then..."

Shido nods and asks him.

" , would add that last part to your testimony?"

Axel looks confused again and responds.

"Well…I guess."

"She was wearing her aqua-green outfit with matching gloves, and that shiny red, ruby pendant."

Objection!

Shido has a confident look with his arms at his side as he proclaims.

"Rubies are pretty, aren't they, Mr. Gibson?"

Axel puts a happy smile as he replies.

"Yup, they're, like, my favorite, dude."

Saori appears to be a little irritated because she knows what Shido is about to say and say he does.

"Well that presents a problem. Because Shiori never wore a "ruby" pendant, she wore an "emerald" pendant!"

Judges eyes widen once he looks closer at the poster and he exclaims.

"He's right, that pendant is clearly green and not red."

Axel gets a little nervous and says.

"Well…I guess I must have not seen it that well."

Shido shakes his head.

"No, I don't think so. You sounded too confident to make that excuse."

Objection!

Saori slams her fist against the gallery wall, and says.

"Look, Naruhodou, even if he didn't see the pendant that well. The point is, Shiori was the only who has motive, the only one at the scene during the time of the murder, and is the only one who had time."

Shido, now throwing caution to the wind, blurts.

"What about Axel!? He has a weak excuse, and he had time!"

The judges widen and Mana is actually a little surprised. Shido backs up a little, and nervously asks.

"….Um, did I say something embarrassing."

Mana looks at him, and softly says.

"Shido, you have a good point. He did have opportunity."

Shido thinks about what he just said, and realizes that now he has a good argument. So he goes with it.

"Yeah…as far as we know, Axel was alone the entire time, so how can we believe what he says?"

Objection!

Saori has a smug look and presents everyone with a picture. It is a security photo taken in front of the green room, and Axel is in it stretching his arms like he had just woken up. The time is stamped at 7:08, the time Axel claimed he was in the hall. Saori crosses her arms and says.

"I'm getting bored with your weak accusations. Axel is in the right place at the right time. He is clearly telling the truth. Your Honor, I move for a verdict before I get a migraine."

(Outside the court)

The group is watching the trial, via monitors on their ship. They're getting more worried, and Ellen asks.

"Isn't there anything we can do?"

The group starts making more desperate attempts to figure something out. Hiro then shouts his idea to the group.

"We have to find out who took those photos!"

Hiro then lays out a scenario for the group to illustrate his point.

"Okay, say this, if the victim found out who took those photos, then she would have most likely confronted them, so if we find out who did it, then we may have our killer."

With little options, the group splits up to search anywhere that could have clues to find out who took the photos.

(Back to the trial)

The judge looks disappointed as he utters.

"I believe this case has no more leads to press, so it with a heavy heart that…"

Shido can't get the words to describe this situation, and begins to panic.

" _NO! I can't let it end here!"_

Shido is ready to blurt out objection, when a voice booms through the room.

Hold it!

Everyone is in shock as a new person takes the stand. This person says in plain tone.

"I have things to say."

This person is wearing sun glasses, so their eyes can't be seen. They have long, wavy, blonde hair, fair skin, their face appears to be a shade of pink. They are wearing a long-sleeved buttoned yellow shirt with a blue scarf around their neck, black pants, white boots, and appears to have feathers in their hair. The thing that is on everyone's minds are: is that a boy or a girl?"

The judge is flabbergasted at the appearance of this new person. Shido is shocked himself, but thinks.

" _Could this be the break we need?"_

The judge composes himself and asks.

"Young…man..or lady? Um would you please tell this court your name, please?"

The young person simply says.

"Flugel."

Saori has her arms crossed, but is smiling, as she explains."

"This is G. Flugel, the little murderer's pianist. I hear that she met this person while on tour in Germany."

Shiori hands judge some paperwork, and he reads that the G stands for Gabriel. But he can't tell how it's pronounced; whether it is GAH-briel or GEI-briel, is unknown to him. Due this young person's appearance, they can't tell if they are male or female. Fleugel is silent for a second, but within moments, they say, rather bluntly.

"I killed Miss Keieisha."

Shido, Mana, and the Judge's eyes all widen as they are surprised by this. The Judge, with his eyes still widen, asks with surprise.

"You did it!?"

Fluegel remains stoic.

"….I did."

The Judge sets his eyes on Saori as he asks her.

"Prosecutor Mitsurugi, what do you think of this?"

Saori, oddly, has a more uneasy smile than before, as she states her opinion.

"Interesting, I move that we have our confessor testify what they did."

Shido and Mana, while both happy that they have more time, don't like that smile Saori has on her face. Nevertheless, Shido and Mana agree that a testimony is needed. The Judge also agrees, nods, and says to Fleugel.

"Very well,…Uh, Fleugel, please give us a testimony about what happened."

Fleugel simply nods.

Testimony

-Fluegel's confession—

"…I am a fan of Shiori's, so I became concerned for her when I heard about the pictures."

"Three days ago, I had found out it was Hibiki who took them."

"…So I grabbed my Magnum, and confronted her in the dressing room."

"I shot her… without anyone hearing the shot."

"I panicked, and ran away from the stadium."

"But I returned in time for my time on the stage."

"I nearly let Shiori take the blame for a crime she didn't commit… I am ashamed of myself."

End

Fleugel's testimony, while fluent, felt hesitant to Shido and Mana. Saori stays silent, and Judge is gathering his thoughts. Shido looks at Mana, and asks her with uneasiness.

"Mana…I don't think this is right."

Mana has a serious look on her face and responds.

"I know that something is wrong with that testimony, so let's get on that first, okay?"

Shido agrees, and with his casually look.

"I'd like to start my cross examination now, Your Honor."

The judge nods.

Cross examination

-Fluegle's confession—

"…I am a fan of Shiori's, so I became concerned for her, when I heard about the pictures."

"Three days ago, I had found out it was Hibiki who took them."

Hold it!

Shido is wondering.

"How did you find out that Miss Keieisha took the pictures?"

"… I saw an email on her laptop that said: I'll give you $500, American, for the pictures."

Shido finds this interesting and makes a note of it, and then asks.

"Are you sure it was HER laptop?"

"I saw it in her office at the recording studio, so yes."

"Okay, so what happened next?"

"…Okay, I knew that I needed some form of advantage…"

"…So I grabbed my Magnum, and confronted her in the dressing room."

Objection!

Shido, once again presents the gun to everyone. (There will some repeating element, so we'll take a break to go the group.)

August 3

Gavinner Studios

Mirai's private area

Ellen and Aki elected to take a look into the studio where Mirai and her friends record her albums. It is a rather cute looking area filled with musical themed decorations, stuffed animals, and a coffee station. Aki is somewhat reminded of his younger sister, and Ellen is thinking about her daughter. They look around the room for clues as to who took those pictures. Ellen digs through some papers in a nearby desk, and finds a piece of scratch paper that has a song written in crayon on it. Ellen quietly reads the name.

"I love you, daddy. That is just precious."

She sees that this most likely Shiori's first song she wrote. She then imagines her own daughter singing this song to her husband, and gets lost in thought. Aki, on the other hand, is looking in Shiori's private room in the area. It is practically a bedroom. She has a tea set, most likely prepared the same way Miku's tea is made, a small collection of books, mostly fairy tales, and a mp3 player stationed near a bathroom. He isn't comfortable being in this room, but for the greater good, he swallows his pride. He looks around the area, and as luck would have it, he finds a camera hidden somewhere near the edge of the ceiling. He checks it out from the outside and finds nothing. He brings it to Ellen since she may know what to do. She stops fawning over the idea she was just having, and takes the camera. She takes this very seriously. Aki asks.

"So what can you do?"

Ellen gets a confident smile of her own.

"Easy, I'm going to check the photos, the timestamps, and think about what we know. But, you might want to look away. I'm very uncomfortable as it is, looking at these photos."

Aki turns away because this camera is indeed the one used to take scandalous photos of Shiori. As a mother herself, Ellen empathizes with Miku; it can't be easy knowing that someone is taking advantage of such a sweet girl like Shiori for profit. She then notices a nearby laptop, and hooks the camera up to it to get a better view of the pictures to compare them.

(Back to the trial)

The trial isn't picking up much speed since Shido has pointed out the flaw with Flugel's assertion that they shot Hibiki. Saori even retorted the same comeback, ignorance of firearms. Flugel is even about to give another confession. But this time, they seem more nervous.

Testimony

-Flugel's confession pt.2—

"Okay, so I don't know much about guns."

"That doesn't mean I didn't shoot that girl."

"I tried to hide the gun inside Shiori's guitar case, but it was locked."

"I panicked, and kind of blacked out after that."

"I still did it. That's all there is to it."

End

"So there, I keep telling you jerks the same thing."

Flugel's voice has gotten higher and Shido is starting to think he knows them for some reason. Saori is still snickering as she says.

"Well I guess someone got desperate."

Shido is noticing how odd this is since Saori has been merciless in trying to get Shiori declared guilty. Mana notices this change as well and is wondering about it.

"Hey, Shido, isn't it jarring that Saori is now suddenly working with us?"

Shido is rubbing his chin again as he replies.

"Yeah, I don't get it at all. Saori has been so relentless with us, and yet, as soon as Flugel took the stand, she's been helping us."

Shido is hoping that Saori is now helping them out the goodness of her heart, but his heart is telling him otherwise. Mana is especially suspicious. Saori, with her smug smile, looks at Shido and says.

"I believe it is time for the cross examination, Souka."

Shido gets his attention back to the trial. But Flugel's testimony is starting to become more obviously filled with holes.

-Flugel's confession pt.2—

"Okay, so I don't know much about guns."

"That doesn't mean I didn't shoot that girl."

"I tried to hide the gun inside Shiori's guitar case, but it was locked."

Objection!

Shido, with a confident posture, simply says to this confessor.

"Flugel, do truly know anything about this case?"

Flugel appears more upset as they retort, irritated.

"Of course, I'm the one who did it!"

Shido then brings up the guitar case.

"Flugel, if you knew anything about the case, then you'd know that the guitar case's lock was broken before the police arrived. So how could you not have opened it?"

Once again, the Judges eyes widen.

"Is this true, ?"

Shido now looks a little nervous, but not because of his claim, rather, he is worried about the Judge.

"Well…yes, Your Honor. (Gets serious again) So, Flugel, how could you have missed this, if you are the killer we're looking for?"

Flugel's glasses seem to almost drop down, but they quickly readjust them before their eyes can be seen. They try to regain their composure.

"Of…course..I just don't…"

Shido realizes that Flugel is just trying to be a friend and take the fall for Shiori, but something else is bothering Shido.

" _I don't get it. Something about Flugel just seems off."_

Objection!

" _Oh no, not her again!"_

Saori is has yet another claim to say.

"Flugel, I think you're just confused is all. The police did happen to find the gun inside a guitar case. But it wasn't the one in Shiori's room!

Flugel then regains their confidence, and picks up with.

"O-Of course, I must have shot the guitar case when I shot Hibiki."

Hold It!

Neither Shido, nor Saori shouted that, but rather it is Mana who did. She has her own objection.

"That isn't possible. Because at the scene, we found a bullet hole in the wall in the room, and it had blood around it!"

Saori's visible eye begins to glow red a little as she say, irritated.

"W-what?!"

Mana takes note of this and whispers to Shido.

"Did you see that? She's surprised by the bullet hole."

Shido notices this as well. While he didn't visit the scene itself, he was told by Mana about the hole. Yet Saori seems genuinely shocked by this. Mana then adds.

"This must mean she didn't visit the crime scene at all. That detective must not have told her either."

Saori then pounds her fist against her desk as she shouts.

"I object to those fools foolishly foolish objection!"

The shakes his head and proclaims.

"Objection overruled. But, , what does this mean for your client?"

Shido comes back the real situation, but holds his composer.

"Excuse me?"

"Surely, you must realize that whatever is good for this confessor is also bad for your client."

Shido and Mana where so caught up with the bad smell of the situation, that they forgot about Shiori. Saori regains her composure and adds in.

"Hold on! So what if the guitar case wasn't shot. That doesn't automatically mean that it wasn't locked when Flugel committed the murder. For all we know, it could have been broken before the mur…"

Mana begins taking the initiative, and confidently says.

"What's that? I could have sworn that you were going to say something that contradicted the facts."

Saori then begins pounding her fist against her desk again and begins growling. Then Mana gets an idea that she tells Shido.

"Shido, I think I've figured something out. I think that since Saori never went to scene, then she has no idea about another piece of evidence that we have."

Shido knows about it as well, the medicine bottle. But he wants to figure something else at as well. Until…

Hold it!

Everyone's attention is shifted back to Flugel as they shout.

"Don't ignore me! I have more to say!"

The Judge appears to be a little startled, but he manages to says.

"Okay, by all means."

Testimony

-Flugel's confession pt. 3-

"Like I said, I blacked out."

"So I probably just forgot I broke the lock myself."

"But that's all I did. I didn't do anything else after trying to get trying to hide the gun."

"So there's no more room for doubt, I did it."

"So just let Shiori go."

End

"So there! Now just get it over with, and arrest me!""

Shido slams his hands on his desk and proclaims.

"No, not until I've performed my cross examination."

The Judge nods and says.

"I agree."

Saori remains silent since she's lost her edge.

Cross Examination

-Flugel's confession pt. 3-

"Like I said, I blacked out."

"So I probably just forgot I broke the lock myself."

Hold it!

Shido is wondering.

"How could you break a lock like that?"

Flugel begins to sweat

"I don't know. I told you I blacked out."

"Are you sure?"

Objection!

Saori, now irritated, simply tells Shido.

"The witness stated what they needed to say. Now tell us about anything else you did, Flugel."

Flugel regains their composure to continue.

"But that's all I did. I didn't do anything else after trying to get trying to hide the gun."

Objection!

Shido presents the bed sheets and tells Flugel.

"No, that wasn't all that was done. Or didn't you know that the killer tried to burn some bed sheets?"

Flugel is getting flustered again as they desperately utter.

"No, wait, I did try to burn some bed sheets. I swear!"

Shido is then getting mad since it is clear that this person is trying desperately to protect Shiori. Then it hits him like a ton of bricks.

" _Wait, I get it now! How could I not see it before?"_

Shido looks at Mana and asks.

"Can I see something really fast?"

Mana nods and hands him a specific item. He then begins to laugh a little, so the Judge asks.

"What is so funny, might I ask?"

Shido, with his hands at his side, says, confidently.

"Because I figured something out. I know why this person is trying so hard to protect Shiori.

"Flugel then begins to sweat.

"I told you, it's because I care about her."

Shido nods and follows with.

"Oh, I know that, but I think that it's more than just concern. No, I think you love Shiori more than the world itself. After all…you are her mother!"

The Judges eyes widen and the gallery erupts with noise. The Judge bangs his gavel again and shouts.

"Order! What is the meaning of this? I could have sworn that the defendant's mother is none other than Miku Izayoi or Itsuka?"

Shido, still confident, answers.

"Here is my proof that this person, is in fact, Mrs. Miku Itsuka."

Take That!

Shido presents the hair strands to the court. He tells everyone.

"These are hair strands that we found inside Shiori's dressing room. At first glance, they appear average hairs. But, they are actually strands of hair from a wig!"

Flugel then starts sweating rapidly and says.

"No…this hair is my hair. It's not a wig…"

Shido knows a thing or two about wigs since the time he had to wear one, so he recognizes the feel of a wig hair. He shakes his head and says.

"Well, then why don't we simply removes some of your hair, and compare to the ones I have here."

"Well…I can't…."

"Enough of this, (Epic finger point) I demand you take off that wig, and show us who you really are!"

Flugel's clothes then suddenly begin to flap, as if they got caught in a gust of wind. Then their hair begins to flap as well. The gust suddenly picks up, and their hair begins to fly off their head and a new set of light-indigo hair flows down.

"MY HAIR!"

The sunglasses fall as well, revealing light indigo-eyes with a panicked look.

"MY GLASSES!"

Then, finally, the sound of snap is heard. Then, finally, her chest pops out and her face turns to it's normal color.

"MY CORSET!"

Since the snap, Shido has a blush on his face, as does the Judge. Then a voice, Shiori's, shouts.

"MOTHER, YOU DIDN'T!?"

Now revealed, Miku has an agitated looks on her face with her cheeks puffed as she retorts.

"Shiori, I both respected your privacy by letting start a music group, but I asserted my right as your mother by joining it anyway."

Shido now has revealed why he has had such a nagging feeling about her, now everyone gets it. He knew that only two people would this adamant about it, but only one person who would act like that; especially when he talked to her yesterday. But now he also realizes another important detail. Saori wasn't trying to get Flugel arrested; she was trying to get Miku arrested.

 **Author's Note- I am simply terrible with keeping up with my work lately. I am once again very sorry about the delay. I will be busy again soon, but don't worry. I'll keep working on this story until I finish it.**


	18. Chapter 18

CH.18 Pressing Pursuit PT.1

In the prime timeline, at DEM headquarters, Isaac is clapping and applauding his partner for a gift that he has recently been given. He is a very happy mood as he expresses his gratitude.

"Hohoho, Shinra, my friend, I can't not express how happy you've made me today."

Shinra merely adjusts his mask and smirks as he responds.

"It was nothing. But now, to the topic at hand. We may need to deploy some more units soon. I would like to test my gifts to you, if that's okay?"

Isaac shrugs.

"Sure, sure, I've got no problems with it. Besides, Ellen hasn't fully recovered and it would be a problem if she died before the others."

Shinra snaps his fingers and orders Kokoro to send some more of his "gifts" to Shido and his group.

In the Shiori timeline, Shido's group who are still aboard the Bifrost, Hiro, Akane, Kotori, and Kurumi; are still watching the trial and are equally shocked at the reveal of Miku being Shiori's pianist in disguise. Akihiko and Ellen arrive back on the ship with some new evidence that they have uncovered at the studio. Upon witnessing Miku's appearance, Hiro now has a better idea of what is really happening. The others have an idea as well, but Hiro has the best understanding of it. So he gathers some pictures from the Bifrost's database from when it was monitoring the group members in the city. He explains his plan to the others.

At the courthouse, the trial is starting to get more interesting. Shido has figured part of Saori's plan, but what's bugging him is.

" _Why is she doing this? Why is she after Miku?"  
_

Miku is still at the witness stand. She is still determined to take the blame for her daughter. With everything settled down, Saori then starts making more statements.

"Now I think we get it. This woman murdered her daughter's manager with malicious intent; for why? I don't know, but I don't personally care."

Objection!

Shido slams his hands on his desk and proclaims.

"But even if the witness DID, and I'm not saying she did, kill the manager; she's already given a reason. She was only trying to protect her daughter."

Saori smirks again, and proclaims.

"Okay, then Shiori murdered her manager, so Miku is trying to take the fall for her daughter. Either way, someone in this room is the murderer without any doubts."

The Judge has a look of disapproval since he doesn't like the course of this trial.

"I must say, this turn is making me feel uneasy. I am grandfather, and a father, so I can empathize with the blight of this woman standing before me."

Shido doesn't know what to do, again. So he looks at Mana, and she has an uneasy look on her face as she tells him.

"I don't know…I feel for her, I do. But I don't what to say either."

Hold it!

Hiro bursts through the courtroom door dressed in a red suit, with a white cravat, and black shoes. He announces.

"I am here to assist in this trial. I am….Hiro Naruhodou, the defenses brother, and legal aide. Everyone is surprised at this, as Hiro's entrance and sudden outburst has left everyone speechless. Hiro immediately makes his way to Shido and Mana to tell them about his idea. So, he takes Mana's place at Shido's side. Moreover, he takes the stead; as he silently tells Shido.

"Shido, let me handle this."

Without any more ideas, Shido lets Hiro take the stead. Hiro first states.

"Miss Miku, I would like you to tell us about the events leading up your supposed murder. I want what time you arrived at the stadium, and your actions prior."

Miku seems uneasy being ordered by a man, but she goes with it, and no one is disagreeing. Saori is so confident, so she says nothing.

Testimony

-What I did before—

"Before I went to stadium, I gave my other children a couple of kisses and hugs, and kissed my darling husband goodbye."

"I put on my disguise, and walked to the stadium."

"I arrived at 6:30, and then murdered Hibiki."

"After trying to hide the evidence, I waited until my time to go on stage."

"That's all there is. So let my daughter go, she's innocent!"

End

Hiro is standing with his arms crossed, as he finishes listening to Miku's new testimony. Shido doesn't have anything, so he asks Hiro.

"Did you hear anything strange? Because I didn't."

Hiro then puts on a more confident smile as he responds.

"No, but I'll find something. I just need to press her on certain details. _Then I'll get Saori before too long I won't let her get away with this._ "

Cross examination

-What I did before—

"Before I went to stadium, I gave my other children a couple of kisses and hugs, and kissed my darling husband goodbye."

"I put on my disguise, and walked to the stadium."

Hold it!

Hiro points at Miku and asks.

"About how long does it take to put on your disguise, and how long does it take to walk to the stadium with it all on?"

Miku thinks and explains.

"Well the wig only takes a couple of minutes, my glasses about six seconds, and my corset takes about ten minutes. The walk is about a half hour when I'm wearing all of my stuff."

Hiro takes a note of this and thinks.

" _So, she had to have prepared herself starting at roughly 5:48 to even have a chance of pulling this off, but it's still possible._ What time did you arrive at the stadium again?"

"I arrived at 6:30, and then murdered Hibiki."

"After trying to hide the evidence, I waited until my time to go on stage."

Hold it!

Hiro again.

"What did you do during that time frame?"

Miku now has a smile as she explains.

"I listened to my Shiori sing her heart out. I love hearing her sing, I love all of her songs, and I just plain love her!"

Hiro's eyes then look more determined as he then asks a question.

"Exactly, what was the fourth song she sang? I tend to forget things like that."

Miku then appears to get irritated as she responds.

"It was Lovely World! Her third hit in the country and top charting song in Italy."

Hiro smirks as he says.

"Indeed, if only that were the case. But as it stands, you are the incorrect one, Miss Miku!"

Objetction!

Saori pounds her desk with an irritated look as she shouts.

"I object to this fool's foolishly foolish line of foolish questions!"

Saori realizes it as well, but Hiro wags his finger at her as he says.

"I disagree, my questions are fair, my statements are very valid, and this will prove it!"

Take that!

Hiro presents the program for the concert and re-illustrates something to everyone.

"It's true that in the program Shiori was planning on singing Lovely World, what really happened is that the song played around that time was changed."

Everyone then remembers that earlier, Tohka mentioned that the fourth song, Lovely World, was changed at the last minute, and the song, Guilty Love, was the song that was sung at the time. Hiro then adds.

"Miss Miku would never mistake something like that. As she has shown us, she is devoted to her daughter could probably recognize any song that she would sing."

The Judge then looks at Hiro and asks.

"But what does this have to do with the case?"

Hiro then shakes his head and shrugs as he explains.

"It's simple, Your Honor, Miss Miku was never actually at the stadium until around 7:20, when she was scheduled to be on stage!"

Que Cornered or pursuit!

Miku then appears to have a shocked expression and Saori pounds on her desk as she tries to regain control.

"It's possible that she left the stadium and came back, but missed the song."

Hiro is now the one with the constant smile as he wags his finger in front of his forehead.

"I beg to differ. Because her story has it made clear that she was at the stadium during the entirety of the incident. Plus, there is one more thing she has neglected to mention. And this is that something."

Take that!

The Judges eyes widen as he proclaims.

"That is….what does this have to do with this trial?"

Hiro has presented the medicine bottle to the court.

"This bottle is covered in bloodstains, and yet, Miss Miku has never proclaimed to know that this bottle was in the dressing room of her daughter. I'm betting that the reason is because…she was never in there at any time that night!"

Objection!

Saori regains her composure and chuckles a little.

"Really? Then how do you explain the hairs from her wig, that were found on the defendants bed in her dressing room?"

Hiro, still confident, gives his answer.

"Clearly, you didn't pay attention to what I said. I said: she wasn't in there THAT NIGHT; most likely, Miss Miku probably didn't enter the dressing room until after the incident was reported, and the medicine bottle was already taken away by a girl named Enfer Rimbaud."

The Judge then adds his own opinion.

"If this, Enfer Rimbaud took the bottle, then shouldn't she be a suspect as well?"

Hiro shakes his head.

"No, Your Honor, as fate would have it, I happened to attend the concert myself, and remember Miss Rimbaud with my own eyes being there in the audience."

Miku starts acting more desperate.

"Enough! Just give Shiori a not guilty verdict! And take me to jail!"

Objection!

Neither Hiro, nor Saori shouted that. Rather, Shido did with his arm extended and his finger pointed at Miku. He is serious as he tells her.

"Mrs. Itsuka, that's enough! It is clear that didn't do anything, except try to defend your daughter. But let me ask you this. What about your other children?"

Miku then regains her composure as she silently says to herself.

"My…children…"

Shido continues.

"Do you want them to grow up motherless!? Do you want to be taken away from them!?"

Saori, on her end, takes these words herself and thinks.

" _Motherless….."_

Shido continues.

"Your husband would be a victim of your arrest as well. I believe in Shiori's innocence as much as you do, but this isn't the way to do it."

Miku thinks for a second and nods, and starts tearing up a bit.

"You're right…I…I don't want to put them through that…my darling children, and my Darling."

Shido nods his head and gently tells her.

"Miku, from what I've seen today, you love your daughter very much, and I bet you love you're other children just as much. And I promise that I'll get Shiori found innocent, no matter what it takes."

The Judge interjects.

"This is all well and good, but what do you think of this, Prosecutor Mitsurugi?"

Saori gathers her thoughts about this situation.

"Your Honor, I…."

Objection!

Hiro slams his hand on the defense's desk, and proclaims.

"Your Honor, I request that you hold Miss Mitsurugi in contempt of court, for biases against the witness."

Shido whispers to Hiro.

"Hiro, what are you doing?"

Hiro looks at Shido and responds.

"Shido, don't be an idiot. It's clear that Saori has contempt for Miku."

The Judge looks at Hiro, and tells him, in a serious tone.

"This is a very serious accusation. What proof do you have of this?"

Saori is showing no signs of retaliation; rather, she is simply standing in silence. Hiro then prepares to show his evidence.

"Your Honor, this is my evidence of Miss Mitsurugi's bias."

Take that!

Hiro presents a simple picture of Miku that was taken of her from the Bifrost's camera (he claims it to be from paparazzi). Naturally, the Judge asks to what he is trying to show. Miku is lost in thought about her family at this point, so she remains silent. Hiro points to the red mark that was on Miku's face yesterday, and explains.

"Miss Miku was assaulted yesterday…by prosecutor Mitsurugi!"

Objection!

Shido objects, and confronts Hiro.

"No, I refuse to believe that. Saori wouldn't…."

Hiro looks at Shido and retorts.

"Shido, she got that mark right after she met with Saori yesterday. I haven't known her that long, and even I can sense her malice."

Shido grimaces at Hiro's words because he realizes that Hiro is correct in his accusations. Then Shido's looks at Saori, and sees that she has her head lowered. Saori then merely utters.

"It's true; I assaulted that witness."

The Judge looks absolutely stunned at this revelation.

"P-P-P-Prosecutor Mitsurugi! I am beyond words. You are hereby removed from this trial, immediately."

Saori, with her head down, simply walks away from her stand. The Judge looks bewildered as he is clearly disappointed. He then says.

"Without a prosecutor, I don't know how this trial will continue."

Hiro then proclaims.

"I will take the prosecuting side now, Your Honor."

Both Shido and the Judge look surprised. Shido whispers.

"What are doing?"

Hiro answers.

"If I'm the prosecutor, then Shiori has a better chance to get declared not guilty. But I'll fight back to make it look good."

"But your better than me at this, man."

Hiro simply smiles.

"You've get everything you need. Remember what Miku revealed?"

The Judge has no objections to Hiro taking the stand since no one else can do it. Hiro then makes his first statement as the prosecutor.

"Since it has been established that the witness had no realistic ties to the actual crime, I request that she be dismissed."

The Judge nods, and Miku walks off the stand and out of the room. The Judge then adds a statement.

"This isn't looking good for your client, Mr. Naruhodou. And I don't know of any witnesses that we haven't questioned yet."

Shido is now alone on the defense, and doesn't know what to do. He is getting nervous, but takes a deep breath and thinks.

" _What Miku revealed…What she revealed….Wait, I got!"_

He gathers his thoughts and says.

"Your Honor, there is one more thing that we've overlooked."

Everyone looks at Shido with expecting eyes, which makes him nervous, as he explains.

"Remember when Miku revealed an Email that she saw? Well there is something that isn't right with it."

Hiro smirks.

" _By Jove, He's got it."_

The Judge, of course, asks.

"What is strange about the Email?"

Shido reads the Email to everyone.

"I'll give you $500, **American** , for the pictures."

Shido emphasizes the word American, because of his next statement since everyone noticed that.

"Isn't weird that the victim would be offered American money? Considering that she wasn't American to begin with."

Hiro points at Shido with a casual look as he asks.

"What are you getting at?"

Shido, with his hands at his sides, announces.

"This can only mean one thing. That an American person would be the true photographer."

The Judge looks confused.

"But what does this have to do with this case?"

Shido continues.

"Everything, Your Honor. I think that the victim found out about the culprit, confronted them, and was killed to keep quiet about them."

Objection!

Hiro objects, and says.

"You should know that there weren't any known Americans at the stadium that night, Souka."

Shido confidently shakes his head.

"And YOU should know that there was one person who was…You, Axel Gibeson, you murdered Hibiki Keieisha!"

Axel suddenly reappears on the witness stand with a surprised look on his face. Hiro smiles again since he is on Shido's side and already knows how to end this. The Judge gets more serious as asks.

"I assume that you've got proof of this?"

Shido now has nothing else to say, but utters.

"Of…course I do..hehehe."

Hiro is here to back up his friend and says.

"Your Honor, I request that we take a brief recess so that I can fully immerse myself with the facts of this case."

The Judge complies, but adds.

"I will allow it, but you should have done so before coming here today."

Shido sighs heavily since Hiro has come through for him again.

Outside the room, Shido talks with Shiori while Hiro talks with Ellen, who had entered the courthouse recently with an envelope. Shiori is overcome with emotion as she has a clearly upset look on her face.

"I can't believe that Axel would…."

Shiori pulls out a hanky and blows her nose in it. Miku has already made her way home to watch the rest of the trial on television. Shido, upon seeing Shiori again, begins to wonder.

" _If what Akane told is true, then why hasn't Shiori's power awakened yet?"_

 **Author's Note- This chapter is not complete, but I don't want my readers to think that I have stopped. I am just dealing with a tedious schedule. I promise to keep this going, and I deeply thinking you all for supporting my work even though I am being much slower.**


	19. Chapter 19

CH.19 Pressing Pursuit PT.2

Shido decides to dump any evidence that most likely won't help at this time, so ditches the hairs and the program. He also receives the photos that Saori used to defend Axel earlier in the trial. He even receives the laptop that the email was on. Plus security footage of Hibiki before the murder holding the laptop, but it is actually footage of everyone at the studio. Mana then comes back to help her brother regain control of this trial.

He also shares an exchange of words with Ellen, who has the proof needed to get Shiori a not guilty verdict. Ellen, proudly, tells Shido.

"You're doing great. I'm very proud of you, Shido."

Shido, while certainly appreciating the sentiment, can't help but say.

"I dunno about that. I nearly wet my pants back there. I don't know how much longer I can keep this up."

Shiori is still sobbing since now it is apparent that Axel has betrayed her trust, but she doesn't want to believe it. Mana is currently comforting her. She (Mana) is a shoulder to cry on for the pop star. Hiro, looking at the crying girl, can't help but feel envy towards her.

" _Definitely someone…innocent. I wish I could be more like her."_

Tohka walks into the room, and Hiro begins to panic as soon as he sees her. He starts to hyperventilate and his eyes widen as if he has seen a phantom. He takes out his medicine bottle, which he has in his pocket, and takes his medication again. Shido and Ellen worry for him, but need to focus on the trial. Tohka is carrying a box with her. She approaches Shiori and says, calmly.

"You need to something better than prison food, so I made you this."

Tohka presents Shiori a boxed lunch filled with tasty looking food. Shiori thanks Tohka and happily eats the lunch before the trial reconvenes. Tohka also hands Shiori a small bottle of milk which she drinks with her food. As Shiori chomps on her lunch, she notices Hiro and sees him sweating. She walks over to him, and hands him her milk, and says.

"Here, have some milk."

Hiro looks at her with confusion, and asks.

"Why? I'm prosecuting you."

Shiori happily replies.

"Because you helped my mother back there. Besides, I simply can't stand seeing people sad or upset. When I feel down, I drink a glass of milk."

Hiro politely accepts the kind gesture and drinks down the milk which actually does help a little. He also asks her.

"So, she must really care about you a lot, your bodyguard I mean."

Shiori looks over at Tohka and smiles.

"She sure does. Tohka's been like a big sister to me for as long as I can remember. She also makes the best lunches."

(Tohka acts as Shiori's personal chef when she tours, so she's more used to eating Tohka's cooking over Shido's.)

Shiori goes on about Tohka which helps Hiro calm down even more. Shido and Ellen are discussing the new evidence they has obtained. Shido is getting the picture since Ellen thinks that it is better to see it on his own because if he does, he'll have an easier time pointing in out in the trial.

The other members of the group are aboard the Bifrost and are now eating snacks while waiting for trial to restart. For effect, Akane and Kotori have mp3s ready to play. In the sleeping quarters, Akihiko is doing something he feels he should have tried for a while now. He enters his spirit form, and summons his guardian. As usual, she holds the second sword, sheathed, in her arms and attempts to hand it to him, but he declines which causes her to put on a sad look. Akihiko then begins to talk with her.

"Can you understand me?"

The guardian nods her head, and then he asks further questions in a very calming tone.

"Can you talk?"

The guardian shakes her head.

"Do you know who I am? Do you know about my mom?"

The guardian happily nods. He smiles at her, and asks.

"Do you have a name?"

The guardian thinks for a second, and then floats to a nearby wall, and begins using her finger to carve a word into it. She carves the word Valor. Aki then smiles and resonds.

"Your name is Valor?"

The guardian returns to her master and happily nods. He then begins to talk to her more.

The break has ended, the trial is back on, and everyone has taken their place. Shido and Mana are back on their side, Hiro on his, and now, Axel Gibson has taken the stand once more. The Judge pounds his gavel and makes his statement.

"Court is now back in session. It has been brought to my attention that a new possible culprit has been discovered."

Axel gets defensive as he asserts.

"Dude, I, like, had nothing to do with that."

Hiro then declares.

"Of course he didn't do it. So, he should repeat his testimony from earlier."

Shido knows that Hiro is working towards helping Shiori, and he has to take the opportunities when they come up. The Judge nods, and says.

"Very well, Axel, will gives your testimony once more?"

Axel agrees, but adds.

"Okay, but, like, I can't say it word for word again."

Shido says, calmly.

"That is fine, just get on with it."

Objection!

Hiro has a serious look as he tells Shido.

"Refrain from getting snippy with my witness, brother."

Shido calms down because it is clear that his anxiety will get the better of him if he lets it.

Testimony

-Why I didn't do it, seriously—

"Just like before, I was napping from 4:50 to 7:00."

"I walked around to stretch my arms before I got on stage."

"I saw She-bore-me before in the hall at about 7:08."

"I, like, said I saw a ruby, but it was actually and emerald on her outfit."

"And, like, that prosecutor babe showed that photo to us. That proves I didn't do it"

End

"So, like, does that settle it?"

Shido wonders about that, but decides.

"Not until I cross examine you."

Hiro, of course, has no objections, and the Judge approves.

Cross Examination

-Why I didn't do it, seriously—

"Just like before, I was napping from 4:50 to 7:00."

"I walked around to stretch my arms before I got on stage."

"I saw She-bore-me before in the hall at about 7:08."

"I, like, said I saw a ruby, but it was actually and emerald on her outfit."

Hold it!

While Shido rubs his chin.

"Why did you say you saw a ruby earlier?"

Axel, now annoyed, responds.

"Because, like, I was drowsy, I was asleep for nearly three hours."

Shido lets it go since it isn't going anywhere, and Axel continues.

"And, like, that prosecutor babe showed that photo to us. That proves I didn't do it"

Objection!

Shido now reopens that photo issue again.

"Yeah, about that, the photo was tampered with."

Earlier, Ellen had pointed out that the timestamp on the picture is red, but the actual color of the timestamp should be yellow. I have, here, another non-tampered photo that was taken at 7:00."

Shido shows another photo of Axel walking into the green room at 7:00. He then presses on the issue further.

"I'd say the photo we saw earlier, was actually taken closer to 6:20."

The Judge's eyes widen as he responds.

"But how do we know that this new photo isn't tampered with?"

Shido answers.

"Because, this photo was taken directly from the surveillance room, and the other was taken from a laptop. I'd say this proves that the photo was actually tampered with after the murder…by the true culprit, Axel Gibson!"

The Judge then looks at Axel intensely.

"Mr. Gibson, is this true? Did you tamper with the photo?"

Axel is looking down at the floor as he answers.

"No…don't be stupid. I didn't do anything…you idiotic old fart…"

The Judge looks insulted, Hiro is smiling, and Shido now is getting a better view of this man's real personality. Axel continues.

"That prosecutor hit Miku, so why couldn't she have tampered with the photo? Or Shiori for that matter?"

Shido then retorts.

"Shiori wasn't near the surveillance room at that time, and the green room is much closer than her dressing room."

Axel growls a little under his breath as he utters.

"So…it's come to this."

Axel pulls out his comb, combs back his hair making it slicked back, pulls out his guitar from the case, pulls out an amp, and lifts his face up which has a nasty smile. He then plays a loud guitar rift that dazzles the gallery and audience causing them to throw roses at him. He then gives a new introduction.

"How do you do, , I'm Axel Gibson."

Shido notices that Axel has also begun speaking more properly and is even getting names right. He then thinks.

" _Now it's to finish this guy off."_

Hiro remains silent as Axel continues.

"So, you say that say that I tampered with the photo? Show me some proof, tough guy. If not, then this is nothing but conjecture."

Shido can't actually prove that Axel tampered with the photo. Axel then brings up another point.

"Another thing, you say that whoever took those scandalous photos of Mirai, killed Hibiki. But where's the proof that it was me? Miku said that she saw that email on Hibiki's laptop."

The Judge, while still insulted, can't help but agree with Axel.

"He's right, you haven't shown us decisive proof."

Hiro then steps in with a suggestion.

"I say that we have a new testimony about the victim's laptop."

Everyone, including Axel, agrees. Shido is preparing for the toughest part.

Testimony

-The laptop— (Axel has a completely smug smile on for this.)

"As you all know, Hibiki's laptop had the email, not mine."

"We've done international tours, so using foreign money isn't unusual."

"I do, in fact, have a laptop, but I never brought it to the studio."

"Besides, why would I want to hurt "my precious friend" by taking photos of her?"

End

Shido immediately calls for the cross examination. Hiro nods to him, and then he prepares. Shido has been on a roll, so Mana hasn't done much yet. But Shido has already set up an argument for this, and he thinks.

" _I'm ready for you, Gibson. You're not getting away from me."_

Cross examination

-The laptop—

"As you all know, Hibiki's laptop had the email, not mine."

Objection!

Shido, with his hands to sides, confidently says.

"Sorry, but that laptop is not Hibiki's."

Shido pulls out the laptop and points to the serial number on the bottom, and then pulls out the surveillance clip of Hibiki at the studio, who is holding her laptop, and points to its serial number; showing that the numbers are different. Axel, shocked, plays a cord by accident and it screeches loud. Shido further points out that the clip that was shown was from earlier in the day that the murder occurred so there wasn't much opportunity to switch the laptops.

Objection!

Axel objects and retorts.

"Oh yeah, well how do you know that the laptop was mine? It could have belonged to anyone in the studio, and besides, I don't ever take mine to the studio in the first place."

Shido points out.

"Can you prove that you didn't?"

Axel sarcastically replies.

"Can you prove that I DID."

Shido thinks for a moment, and then Mana whispers in his ear.

"Shido, if that laptop wasn't Hibiki's, then there should be something on it that shouldn't be."

Shido thinks about it, and understands. He then declares.

"Actually, I can prove that you did."

Axel appears to start sweating, and Shido begins to explain.

"If the laptop that the email was on, the one in our possession isn't the victims, but the killers. then this laptop shouldn't contain a certain someone's fingerprints."

Axel begins to sweat further since he realizes that this could mean trouble for him.

"This laptop wasn't the victim's, but she did handle at some point. The same is for Shiori's mother. These two handled the laptop to see the email in question. But if this laptop actually belongs to Axel, then his fingerprints should be all over it!"

Axel then gets more nervous as he looks at Hiro and says.

"Hey, aren't you supposed to help me here?"

Hiro puts on a confused look as he responds.

"Me? I only care about the truth."

Shido now gets more confident since he believes it to be over, but Axel begins laughing as he hasn't given up yet. He then confesses.

"Fine, I admit that I took the photos. The little tramp sure takes a pretty picture, doesn't she?"

Shido begins gripping his desk and very tempted to get violent. Mana calms him down, despite being angry. Axel then further adds.

"So I took some photos, big deal. But here's some more truth; Shiori and Hibiki have been arguing for three weeks now."

The Judge looks at Axel with disgust as he tells him.

"Regardless, you will be facing charges for this."

Axel, smugly, retorts.

"Better than a murder charge."

The Judge shakes his head as he proclaims.

"Your motive is very clear, but no proof exists that you are the shooter. And now, it comes to my attention that the defendant has a clear motive again."

Axel, smugly, retorts.

"Better than a murder charge."

Shido is frustrated and is furious.

" _This guy is really making me mad. There has to be something, something that he missed."_

Shido then thinks something very closely about everything that he has. Mana doesn't have anything to say since she doesn't know what to do either. Hiro looks at Shido and thinks.

" _Come on, think Shido, think."_

Shido re-looks at the photos taken from the stadium. He notices a contradiction. He points to two pictures of Axel exiting and returning to the green room.

"Between these two pictures, Axel is wearing different gloves when he leaves and when he comes back."

The gloves in the photos change from black to red between the two time periods. He then makes a statement about this.

"Axel must have changed his gloves between the time he left, and the time he came back. He must have gotten them dirtied or something."

Axel now looks annoyed as he simply utters.

"And, what's your point? I went to the bathroom and I got a little of bit IT on them, so I changed with a spare in my pocket."

Mana then adds her opinion on the situation.

"I think that maybe he didn't have his gloves on him when he came back, the dirty ones I mean."

Shido looks at Mana and thinks to himself.

" _Didn't have the gloves when he came back…"_

(While an odd choice, this next moment is a new feature in Phoenix Wright Duel Destinies. Specifically, the thought route. I also recommend the song "Thought Route; Resonance of The Synapses")

Shido goes into in mind and thinks very carefully.

" _When Axel left the green room, his gloves were black. Why did he change them…(_ _ **They got covered with something)…**_ _They must have gotten stained with something he couldn't let anyone see, something like…(_ _ **The victim's blood)**_ _….Yeah, if her blood stained his gloves, then he couldn't have cleaned them, so he must have hidden them before he came back, but where…_ ( **Somewhere in the dressing room)** _…It had to be the dressing room, but we never found them despite our looking. Unless…we've already got them, but this means….(_ _ **The gloves are hidden within the evidence)**_ _…But the only way is…(_ _ **The Bed sheets) (Axel hid the bloodstained gloves in the bed sheets)..**_ _We never completely checked the bed sheets. He must have tried to burn them before the show."_

Shido takes the bed sheets and goes through them thoroughly, and just he figured out, the gloves are there and have dried blood on them. Shido, confidently thinks.

" _You've dug your own grave, Gibson"_

He then proclaims.

"I have decisive proof. Specifically, these gloves!"

Axel looks speechless, and the Judge asks.

"How are these gloves proof?"

Shido confidently explains.

"These gloves, the one clearly shown in this picture, have dried blood stains on them, blood from the victim to be precise."

Hiro is almost tempted to laugh at seeing Shido catch on so swimmingly. The Judge, now surprised, announces.

"Then this proves beyond doubt that the witness definitely did it."

Axel is giving off a weak laugh as he then sets his last defense.

"Haha…prove those gloves are mine? Because those look pretty charred to me."

Shido looks at the gloves, and see that they are burned. The Judge doesn't seem very happy about it either, but has to see decisive evidence. Shido doesn't have anything else; Hiro notices this and says.

"Indeed, Souka, my witness may have poor taste in his fashion. I mean RED gloves with a black jacket, it doesn't seem very fluent to me. But it doesn't lead to a murder."

Shido catches it now, and says.

"Axel, I get it. It's not that you didn't need to change your gloves to hide the blood on THEM, but because you needed to clean the blood on your JACKET!"

The Judge is confused, Axel is sweating and shocked, and Mana is excited to see her brother give the decisive blow. The Judge asks Shido to explain himself, which he does.

"Easy, Axel not only got blood on his gloves, but also on other parts of his clothes. He probably figured that a tissue or cloth would stand out, so he instead used red gloves to wipe the blood off his clothes knowing that they wouldn't stand out too much. The same gloves that he's wearing on the moment.

Axel is now afraid since Shido is about to deliver the final line.

"All we need to do is test the gloves for blood, and we all know that we'll find it. Admit it! Axel Gibson, (Epic Fingerpoint) you murdered Hibiki Keieisha!"

Axel, now nervous, attempts to play another rift to appease the crowd, but he plays a bundle of sour notes, causing the audience to throw tomatoes at him while booing. He attempts it again, but he receives more tomatoes with more boos. He then tries a third time, plays a totally sour cord, and this time, someone throws a glass of water at him, the water hits the amp and electrocutes him. His body gets turned charred, his hair stands up spikey, and he coughs up some smoke before collapsing on the ground.

Moments later, Shiori takes the stand as the Judge makes his statements.

"Finally, we are at the end of this trial. I'm must say that I am impressed with Mr. Naruhodou."

Shido bashfully scratches the back of his head and thanks the Judge.

"Thanks, Your Honor."

The Judge continues.

"Not only did you prove this young lady's innocence, but also found the true killer. Miss Shiori…or Miss Mirai?"

Shiori politely tells the Judge.

"I'm happy with either one, Mr. Your Honor."

The Judge is clearly pleased as he announces.

"It is a great pleasure, that this court finds the defendant, Shiori Itsuka…"

NOT GUILTY

Confetti rains from the sky for some reason. The Judge bangs his gavel as he announces.

"Court is adjourned."

Outside in the lobby, the gang all gathers together as Shiori expresses her gratitude.

"Thank you all so much."

Shido is drinking a tall glass of water since he got very nervous back there, but is happy that he did it. Mana, Ellen, and Hiro are expressing their pride towards Shido's hard work back in that courtroom. Then Tohka shows up (due Hiro's medication still being in effect, he doesn't have a panic attack) to properly thank the group as well. She walks up to Shido to give him a special thank you.

"I'm very sorry that I caused you trouble in there. And I'm glad you saved Shiori."

Shido blushes a little at seeing the sincerity in Tohka's eyes. Shido then asks Shiori about something that he'd been wondering about since it came up in the trial.

"Shiori, is it true that you were arguing with your manager?"

Shiori puts on a shamed look as she answers.

"….I was…about Axel's payments."

Shido is a little curious and asks her to continue on about what she's talking about.

"I…knew that he took the pictures of me. I figured that it had to do with him being unhappy with his paychecks. But Hibiki wanted me to fire Tohka to make it happen. I…just….wanted everyone to be happy."

Shiori starts crying and Tohka holds Shiori closer to her chest and starts rubbing the back of her head. After a minute, Shiori calms down. Tohka then tells everyone.

"Miku wanted me to invite you all to a feast at the manor to celebrate Shiori's release. She also said to invite that prosecutor as well."

Shido then thinks.

" _Miku is still Miku, even as an adult."_

Everyone agrees, so they all follow Tohka and Shiori back to the manor to celebrate a tough court battle.

Elsewhere, a portal opens up in an alleyway, and five figures emerge from it. Shinra has sent them here to fulfill their mission as DEM agents.

 **Author's Note- I am very sorry that this tribute took so long, and it was very difficult for me to write. I can assure that the next chapter will be more action packed.**


	20. Chapter 20

Ch.20 Past Phantoms

Everyone, except Kotori, Kurumi, and Akane, who all voted on staying aboard the ship, are attending the celebration at the Izayoi manor. Ellen is wearing some of the wash-out hair dye that Shido used to dye his hair black to disguise herself a little from Miku. She is a little worried given that Miku has seen her face before, and doesn't want to cause a scene. This world's Shido has prepared a banquet for everyone, but he collapsed from exhaustion due to everything he did in the last two days, including the cooking.

Shido is the center of attention, of course, and he is relatively happy with this celebration. Shiori is playing with her two younger brothers, Akihiko is fixing his plate while chatting with Ellen, Hiro is chatting with Mana, Saori is being a recluse considering she is feeling the tension in the room, and Shido is getting ready to chat with Miku. Miku has just put her young baby to sleep so that she could mingle with her guests. She is rather calm about having more men in her home, but Shido chalks it up mostly to gratitude.

Miku approaches Shido while holding a glass of water, and has a smile on her face as she expresses her gratefulness to him.

"I can't believe I ever doubted you, Mr. Souka. You saved my daughter, and saved me from doing something stupid."

Shido shakes his head as he explains to Miku, kindly.

"Like I said, you were just trying to help her. I probably would have done the same in your position."

Miku chuckles a little as she replies.

"I bet my Darling would say the same thing."

Miku then invites Shido to see her family photos. He is a little surprised, but is very interested in seeing them, so he accepts. Miku and Shido then leave the room to go look at photos. Ellen is eating a piece of cake with a glass of milk while talking with Akihiko. She wonders why he didn't watch the trial for the most part, and he responds.

"I wanted to learn more about my powers, so I talked with Valor."

He explains to her about his talk with his guardian. Ellen is wondering more about spirit children because she has worries about her own daughter. She doesn't mention anything on it since she is making a couple of theories. She then talks more about their training on the ship since Aki's training has proved very beneficial to learning more about his powers.

Hiro is talking with Mana about the improvements made to the city of his time. He explains to her about the AST of his time, and she asks a question that has been looming on her mind for a little while now.

"Hey, Hiro, is the AST still called the Anti Spirit Team? I mean, it seems weird that without Spirits being a threat, the name would be weird."

Hiro wonders why no has asked him about that yet, and he answers.

"No, it is now known as the Allied Societies of Terraforming. We changed it during the war. Other organizations joined us with DEM being exposed. Like the SSS and others. We wanted to keep the acronym because it is short."

Mana just becomes more interested with Hiro's explanations of his organization. She then asks about how the organization was finally exposed, but Hiro clams up as he replies, nervously.

"I found and exposed some of their darker secrets…by unconventional means."

Mana doesn't like how he explained that and sternly responds.

"Unconventional… like how?"

Hiro doesn't give an answer; he simply goes back to eating a slab of roast with a glass of soda pop.

Saori is sitting with a glass of milk in her hand, wondering why she even bothered to come along. Since the trial, she has been deep in thought about something. Saori is then approached by Shiori, who offers her a bite of cake. Saori ignores the offer and wonders.

" _Stupid girl…"_

Shiori simply tells Saori.

"I don't hate you, you know."

Saori then sets her eye on Shiori and responds, bluntly.

"Why?"

Shiori happily says.

"Because bearing a grudge is no way to live."

Saori rolls her eye and retorts, softly.

"You're an idiot, like your whore mother."

Shiori gets offended, but doesn't respond. Saori simply stands up and begins to walk out of the room. Hiro notices this, and tells Mana that he has to go to the bathroom.

Outside the manor, Tohka is stretching her arms. She wanted to get some fresh air because today has been an ordeal for her. She is thinking about going inside, when she hears a voice asking.

"Is this the home of the Itsuka family?"

Tohka looks and sees a young woman approach. She has long blonde hair that she parts to cover her right eye. She wears a monocle on her left eye which is blue, a violet blazer with three tails in the back. A knee-length rose colored skirt, violet stilettos, a rose colored chocker, and has a butterfly tattoo on her left cheek. The young woman then asks, more irritated.

"I asked you if this is the Itsuka residence."

Tohka gives a serious response.

"And what if it is?"

The young woman just replies.

"I see…then I am in the right place….You must be Princess."

Tohka hasn't been called Princess in a long time, so she can tell this woman is bad news. She gets ready to fight and cracks her knuckles. The young woman then smiles a little as she explains.

"You know, I was beginning to get tired of walking. I really hate sweating while wearing my outfit. It irritates me to no end. Now, it seems I can vent my frustration."

The young woman then materializes an rapier-shaped weapon in her left hand, clicks a button with her thumb, and the blade on the weapon begins to glow red. Tohka then gets a little nervous; she hasn't fought with anyone using a wizard weapon in years, so she is rusty. The young woman then proclaims as she readies her weapon.

"You know, I really hate this city; the people, the buildings, and the smell…coming from YOU!"

Inside the manor, Saori is pressed against a hallway wall by Hiro, who is angry with her. He asks her, in a demanding manner.

"Why did you prosecute Shiori? Why did you assault Miku."

Saori has a blank expression, smiles and responds.

"Because it was fun."

Hiro is in no mood for mischief and adds.

"Not good enough. I want to hear why."

Saori then asks, with feigned innocence.

"Don't you trust me?"

Hiro, without thinking, responds.

"No, why would I ever trust anyone like you. You are hiding too many things from us, and you know it."

Saori chuckles as she retorts.

"Well there's some charming hypocrisy."

Hiro has a slightly nervous look as he asks.

"What are you talking about?"

Saori tilts her head back, smiles, and utters.

"Operation Dullahan."

Hiro is horrified at those words as he responds.

"How…do..you."

Saori snickers as she mockingly illustrates.

"What would happen if I told Shido and Mana about that horrible thing you did, Mr. War Hero. The final downfall of DEM, began with that very operation, did it not?"

Hiro gets defensive as he explains.

"I did what needed to be done."

Saori sarcastically retorts.

"Keep telling yourself that."

Saori kicks Hiro in the stomach to get him to let go. He now has something to fear in Saori. He watches as she walks away. Saori has a smile on her face as she silently thanks Hiro in her thoughts.

" _He may be a hypocrite, but he sure knows how to make a girl smile."_

In a different room, Miku is showing Shido various photos that have been taken over the years. Miku has her head in the clouds as she explains the events that led up to these moments. After some time has passed, Shido finishes the album, but Miku says, calmly.

"Oh, I do have one more album."

Shido is a little worried, but understands why Miku would take so many photos. She hands him a big book, and he looks inside only to see a big empty book. He gets confused and utters.

"Hey, this is…"

Out of nowhere, Miku pours her glass of water on his head causing the dye to come out. He puts his hands on his head to cover his hair knowing that the dye is coming out, but Miku smiles wide and shouts.

"Darling!"

She then nuzzles up to Shido and hearts can definitely be seen coming from around her. Shido isn't play around given the fact that Miku has already figured him out, but he is inclined to ask.

"How long have you known."

Miku, still nuzzling, explains.

"I could never mistake my Darling's handsome face. I've been with him for a long time, so of course I'd notice."

Shido argues.

"But what if I'm a copycat or something?"

Miku retorts.

"Never! You're just like him."

Miku backs off, but wonders about…well, why another "Darling" is around. He gives some of the rough details, but doesn't mention the other exciting things that have happened so far. He asks her about a second Tohka or Origami. Miku hasn't seen any of them besides the Origami and Tohka of her time. She assures him that she would definitely notice something like that, and of course, he believes her. He also thinks.

" _Why do I even bother trying…"_

He shouldn't even try to fool the girls anymore since they always see through him. Despite being told multiple times from different sources, he asks her if he's good husband; to which she goes into a long winded discussion about how much she loves her "Darling husband".

Back outside, Tohka is bleeding from her left arm, and the woman she is fighting is unharmed. The woman shakes her head as she expresses her disappointment.

"I really hoped you would use even a fraction of your power, Princess. But I guess I overestimated you."

Inside the manor, everyone is continuing with the celebration. Shiori is about to improve the festivities by walking towards a piano in the room, and gets ready to play it. Everyone is waiting with anticipation because Mana told everyone about Shiori's supposed talent with Italian opera. She begins to play a sweet calming melody with her fingers lightly tapping the keys of the instrument. She plays some more notes and begins to sing in language that nobody can understand, but her vocals sound very light and soothing. Her singing is so sweet that everyone can only stay still and listens to her. She plays this song for a few minutes.

As Shiori stands to give a bow, a crashing noise can be heard from the entrance. Everyone in the room hears this, and runs towards the source of the noice. Shido and Miku fail to hear this because the room they are in, plus their talking, is in place where the noise couldn't be heard. Hiro isn't present because he is a different area entirely, and Saori isn't anywhere to be seen. The group makes it to the entrance, and Shiori gasps in horror as she sees Tohka laid on the floor bleeding from a gash on her chest.

Akihiko is angered by this, and everyone else is trying to get a hold of situation. Tohka was blown through front door, and left a big hole at the entrance from her collision with the doors. The woman she was fighting, casually enters through the hole, and utter in an irritated tone.

"Eh, I got dirt on my clothes."

She looks at the group, and asks, nonchalantly.

"Where is Shido Itsuka?"

Akihiko tries to remain calm, and tells everyone.

"I want this one."

No one is arguing with him. Ellen picks up Tohka and escorts the others to safety since this location is bad for more than two people to fight at once. Mana stays behind since she doesn't want Akihiko to fight alone, but he says.

"Don't worry, I won't lose to her…whoever she is."

Mana nods, and the woman inserts herself into their plan by explaining.

"If the traitor would like an opponent, my four associates are on their way."

Four more enemies are coming, and this could be bad news without many reinforcements. Mana decides to leave to get Kurumi, Kotori, and Akane from the ship. Akihiko is now alone with the woman and asks, with slight anger.

"Who are you?"

The woman doesn't answer, rather, she insults him by saying.

"I don't see the need to give my name to an obstacle."

Akihiko then strategizes to himself.

" _If this woman is a DEM wizard, she isn't equipped with her realizer, so I should be able to beat her without using my full power…But I can't underestimate her."_

Akihiko only releases his power to the point where a light-purple that fades into cream mantle forms around his neck, and his blazer begins to change into the same pattern from top to bottom. He equips his sword, and the woman takes a more intrigued look as she says.

"I've never seen something like you before…this may be interesting."

Akihiko readies himself and is anxious to test his training. The woman raises her weapons and utters, casually.

"Please don't give me a hard time."

Akihiko waits for her to make the first move. The woman accepts this, and thrusts herself at Akihiko, but he deflects her charge by just using the blunt edge of his sword as a shield. He then slashes at her while recovers, but she jumps out of the way and runs across the walls of the hallway, to which he reacts, shocked.

"Oh, come on! You can't run on walls."

She runs across the hallway and Akihiko chases after her. She pays attention to his movements, her blade begins to glow a little brighter, and she leaps off the wall, swings her sword, and unleashes a sword-shaped blast from her sword as she announces.

"J'accuse!"

Akihiko fails to notice in time and is struck on his chest which knocks him back. The woman gives herself praise by uttering.

"I can hear the accolades."

Akihiko gets back on his feet and holds his sword forwards causing it glow. He prepares his on sword beam, and now has a name for it. He announces.

"Rending Edge!"

The once raw shot of energy now has a wider range and is too wide for the woman to dodge. She instead chooses to block it with her weapon, but the sheer force presses her against the ceiling. Not taking any chances, Aki charges his sword again, leaps in the air, and comes back down as the woman falls, and unleashes a new attack the creates a shockwave of small erupting energy from ground which hits the woman before she hits the ground. He names this attack.

"Exalted Divide!"

The force from the attack causes the woman to slide against the floor and drop her weapon. Aki walks up to the woman to see if she is knocked out. He takes caution in his movements, and has his sword ready, just in case. The woman isn't moving, so he takes this as a sign that he has beaten her. Knowing that reinforcements are coming for both sides, Aki then makes his way outside to wait for the others.

Ellen has taken Tohka, Shiori, and Shiori's two brothers into a bedroom across the mansion, and places Tohka on the bed. Tohka's wound isn't fatal, but she is clearly in pain from it. Shiori holds her brothers tightly and tries to comfort them since they are panicking. Ellen doesn't want them alone since she knows that backup is on the way, and would endanger everyone. She instead pokes her head through the door, and by a stroke of luck, she spots Hiro. He has been wandering the halls, and isn't aware of the situation. Ellen explains to him, and he rushes towards the entrance.

In the city, Mana waves towards the sky to get the attention of the ship. But what she doesn't know is that Kotori has already dismissed herself along with Kurumi while Akane stays aboard the ship. She had seen the other four wizards in the city. Kotori makes contact with Mana where she is, and says that the other four have started to move as a group, and are closing in the mansion.

Back at the mansion, Akihiko can see the other four wizards approaching. He can tell because he doesn't recognize any of the ones he can visibly see. The two that he can make out are Jessica Bailey and Artemisia Bell Ashcroft. He gets nervous and utters with sarcasm.

"Ah, that's FAIR, now I can fight four at once."

He readies himself by entering his full spirit form and keeps his guard up. As he holds his stance, Aki is struck from behind by a shot from a blaster. He turns around and sees the woman from earlier, but now she is wearing a violet and black full-body combat wire suite, her monocle is gone, and her hair has parted away from her right eye revealing a green eye. Her realizer resembles Ellen's Pendragon, is dark-blue, has sharper edges, and looks smaller. The blast was relatively weak, so Aki's injury doesn't hurt as much as it could. She floats towards her allies, and now Aki is alone with five opponents, odds he doesn't like.

One of the wizards equips her Realizer and charges at him with her weapon ready. Aki is still recovering from being blasted, so he has little time to guard. Luckily, as the weapon draws closer to Aki's face, Hiro shows up and deflects the weapon using his dual blades. He also counters the wizard by kicking her in the face. He reacts too fast to actually see who he attacked, but he is more concerned with helping his comrade.

Hiro looks at Aki and asks.

"Need a hand?"

While Aki doesn't trust Hiro, he knows very well that he needs his help, and that Hiro isn't the type to betray his allies. Hiro turns around and then gets a horrified expression. One of the wizards, the one he attacked, is Origami, but wearing her DEM equipment, with the Realizer MORDRED. The other one causes anger in him as he utters her name.

"I thought I finished you…Collette!"

Hiro has fought with the blonde woman before. To him, she is the woman who killed Yuzuru, Collette Bastille, and the last Adeptus 2. The last wizard makes her appearance known. It is Mana, but a different one. The two boys have to hold out until their backup shows up. Aki is nervous because of his injury, and summoning Valor may not be enough. He is debating on equipping Azael. The rest of the DEM group equips their Realizers, and even Jessica is equipped with a unique one. Hiro equips his armor to cover his hands and feet, and assumes a stance. He seems to have no qualms about fighting Origami and Mana, but Aki is uncertain, so he has his sights set on the other three.

Saori watches from a distance on top of a building. She is wondering if she should fight considering the amount of fun she would have with it.

( **Author's Note: I decided to cut Collete's French uttering as I thought it would tedious to do.)**


	21. Chapter 21

CH.21 Inverted Views

Shido and Miku, still ignorant to the fighting, are discussing anything that could possibly help them in his search for his Tohka and Origami. Miku does mention one thing to Shido.

"Well…about a month ago, I was taking a stroll with my children to get some ice cream. We were having a grand time, and I saw a strange man looking at us for some reason. I couldn't see him too well. But I remember him because I could tell he was wearing a black mask."

Miku mentions that she pretty much forgot about the masked man because she was so focused on the scandal that Axel Gibson had caused. Miku then goes on to talk about how delusional her daughter can be, but explains the reason for it. In sweet tone, Miku tells Shido.

"Since she was born, I made sure that Shiori grew up in a very loving environment. She just refuses to see any bad in people. My husband helped as well; I wanted children even before we were married. I may have even taken a little too long to get Shiori to try eating solid foods. I just can't believe how sweet she became."

Shido is about to comment on the situation, but Miku then adds a surprising add on to her explanation.

"Speaking of my husband…I can't tell you how many times I've told him that he's allowed to invite other women into our bedroom. I even gave him a list of choices that I'd have no problems with."

Shido then gets flustered and starts to have dirty thoughts, but snaps himself out of it. He then wants to ask about anything else about the masked man, but before he can, Kurumi appears from the shadows of the room. She has her usual air around her, as she casually tells Shido, without paying attention to Miku.

"Shido, I need to get you to the ship."

Shido is naturally confused and asks.

"Why?"

To which Kurumi replies, in sultry tone.

"So I can eat you up."

Shido gets flustered and shouts.

"Don't say that in front of…"

He then realizes that they are standing in front of Miku, who actually has a happy blush with a "tell me more" smile on. So Shido instead says.

"Okay, maybe not the best example, but you shouldn't say…"

Kurumi then puts her finger to his lips and says.

"Just kidding. (Gets slightly more serious) We have some bats in the belfry. Five, to be exact."

Shido, at first, doesn't get it, but a second later, he does. He agrees with Kurumi, but asks her.

"Can you take Miku and her family aboard as well? I don't want them getting hurt."

Kurumi casually sighs and sarcastically complains.

"But that sounds like a lot of work. Of course, I can be persuaded…"

Shido is expecting her to say something dirty, but she instead offers.

"I'll do it, but I want you to pat my head later."

Shido gives a relieved sigh and agrees. Miku is especially happy to see Kurumi, and tells her.

"I'm a very successful business woman now, Kurumi. What do you have to say to that?"

Kurumi inspects Miku and responds.

"I'd say puberty was inordinately kind to you."

Miku doesn't exactly get what that means, but she takes it as a compliment. Shido then tells Miku about the situation as he understands it. In the past, Miku would have jumped at having a female audience, bu,t now, her first response it getting her children to safety, so she asks Miku to escort her to the baby's room. Kurumi complies, while Shido decides to find Shiori and her brothers to get ready to get to safety aboard the ship.

Outside in the front, the boys are doing their best to hold off the five wizards. Hiro is fighting with Artemisia, Mana, and Origami; while Aki is combating with Jessica and Collette. Hiro is holding his own against his three opponents, but he is having difficulties with three tough opponents at once. He is currently dodging Mana's blades from her Vanargandr, while also trying to avoid fire from Origami's weapons. The real trouble comes from the fact that these two seem to be working in tandem with each other's strengths. Mana with close range and Origami with long range; the fight is becoming more difficult for the Anti-Wizard soldier as the fight has taken to the night skies. He hasn't gotten much of a hit since one wrong move could result in a grave injury. Artemisia is sitting on standby as to avoid messing with Origami and Mana's teamwork. Hiro has already coated all but his head with his armor. He is waiting for the right moment to attack.

Likewise, Aki is having many difficulties with his opponents, but has fringe benefits. Collette and Jessica have no coordination as a team. In fact, Jessica can't aim properly without hitting Collette due to her moving in the way. Jessica is frustrated at her comrade, and voices her disdain with a frustrated tone.

"Move out of the way, Collette! I can't get a clear shot."

Collette stops her assault, kicks Aki away casually, and floats towards Jessica with an unfriendly frown. She gets in Jessica's face and tells her.

"I don't take orders from inferior grunts such as you, Bailey."

Collette then attacks Jessica by slashing her across the chest with her (Collette's) rapier and causes Jessica to make a slow decent to the ground. Aki notices this and becomes disgusted as he shouts to Collette with anger.

"Why'd you do that!? Isn't she supposed to be your friend!?"

Collette refuses to respond. Instead, she holds out her rapier and her Realizer begins to glow dimly as she carves out a star shape, rushes her hand through it, and calls out.

"Aure Dominium!"

A spiral of dark-purple energy that resembles stars emits below Aki's feet. He tries to jump out of the way, but he can't move as the energy explodes from below him and blows him through the manor in a diagonal direction.

Hiro is still trying to analyze the situation because no one is making progress with dealing any damage. He then looks at Artemisia again and notices the she's moving her eyes and following his movements. He then hatches a plan because he's on to her.

Inside the bedroom where they are hiding, Ellen is waiting for any word on the proceedings. Shiori and her brothers are trying to remain calm. Tohka is still out cold from her injuries. She has no idea that there are five wizards against their two fighters. Things are only worse as Aki bursts through the wall of the bedroom and is covered with marks from the blast. He is frustrated as he realizes that Collette never took him seriously. He fails to notice the others in the room due his frustration. He stands up but it hurts to do so. He drops his sword, and thinks.

"I…won't…be made fun of!"

He summons the orb of darkness that Shinra originally produced and summons the dark sword. The sad of image of his mother appears again, but the surge of energy from the sword heals most of his wounds. Ellen speaks to him as she is worried for her friend.

"Aki, what's happening? Are you alright?"

Aki turns to her, and replies with a normal small.

"Everything will be fine, I'm taking control."

He grips his sword and runs through the hole. He makes his way back to Collette to resume the fight. Back to Hiro, he is getting ready to make his move. Artemisia then charges with her sword to run Hiro through. He figured this way their plan, and he aims his body in a way that Artemisia will hit him resulting in the loss of his right arm, but his free left arm will be aimed at the back of her neck, his intent is decapitation. But before any of this can be done, a blast of fire stops her in time. Kotori is floating close by with her angel, Camael, in hand. She has a confident smile as she quips.

"Whew, I made it just in time."

Origami sees Kotori and her anger is present, so she sets her sights on Kotori. With his movements less restricted, Hiro dashes at Origami and collides with her to stop her from shooting at Kotori. The good Mana returns as well and immediately goes after her other self. Kotori sees the damage done to the manor, and decides to check on her brother for good measure.

Aki returns to his battle area, only to see Collette is missing. He is made because he really wants another swing at her. Instead, he sees Jessica, now standing up despite the visible injury she has. Aki asks, with impatience.

"Where's the blonde lady?"

Jessica is sweating as she declares.

"Forget her! You're fighting with me."

Aki then rebuttals.

"You're hurt. I don't want to fight you."

Jessica manages a cringed smile as she laughs slightly, and adds.

"Don't worry about that…I have a gift from him."

Aki doesn't really know about Westcott, and doesn't know who she's referring to. Jessica then opens a small compartment on her Realizer, and pulls out a gauntlet-shaped object. She puts it to her hand and a bunch of wires come out and embed into her skin as it attaches to her right arm. She cringes and lets out slight screams of pain as the process. By the end of it, the gauntlet turns silver and engulfs most of Jessica's arm. The gauntlet also shows a red glowing gem on the back of the hand. Jessica has a more sadistic grin as the arm then opens little holes on the right side of the arm and energy emits out of it as feather-like energy emits from them and forms a wing made out of red energy. Then the tips of the fingers emit the same energy to form talon-like blades. Aki, not surprised by anything at this point, readies his dark sword, and prepares to fight with Jessica.

Hiro, now alone with Origami in sky, readies his dual blades for a one on one fight with her. He is seemingly unfazed at the idea of fighting his mother, but she asks, in a serious tone.

"Why do you look like me?"

Hiro just casually answers.

"Because I'm the son of a different Origami Tobiichi. But not you. You are an animal."

Origami doesn't understand why this young man would say such things. She then expresses this by saying.

"Why would you say such a thing?"

Hiro, still casual, responds.

"You are a part of DEM, you tried to hurt my aunt, and that makes you a rabid animal."

Origami, now frustrated, retorts.

"She killed my parents, your grandparents! How does that make me an animal?"

Hiro simply says.

"Parents are supposed to die first."

Now Origami is upset and begins opening fire on Hiro, which he dodges with ease.

The two Mana's are now attacking each other using their two Realizers. (For all intents and purposes the DEM Mana will be referred to as **Mana** with bold letters to avoid confusion when she is being singularly addressed) Mana is trying to reason with her other self as they fight.

"DEM is lying to you. Do you know what they've done to you?"

The other Mana just gives a blank stare, her eyses are lifeless, and then her good counterpart notices that she has a scar on her forehead. Mana then gets it, DEM lobotomized this one. Mana feels pity for her other self and decides to put her out of her misery. But this won't be easy, as **Mana** is just as tough as her good counterpart.

Inside the manor, Shido, Miku, and Kurumi have arrived in the bedroom where the others are. Ellen is informed of the situation. Ellen decides to switch places with Kurumi so she can fight with the others. With that agreement, Ellen equips her Realizer and dashes out of a nearby window and flies high to see where the action is happening. She looks at the front and sees the fighting, but from behind, she is shot at by Collette's J'accusse attack. Collette wanted this from the start, so she waited for Ellen to expose herself. Ellen immediately reacts to Collette's attack and puts up a territory. The blast is blocked, but it is so powerful that puts a large crack in Ellen's territory. Collette has a smirk and she declares.

"I've been waiting for a chance like this, Mathers. Now I can prove my superiority without damaging my status."

Ellen looks at Collette and retorts.

"It's Itsuka."

Collette shrugs and wastes no more time, and charges at Ellen with her blade in hand. The only one left with no opponent is Artemisia. However, as she watches, Saori becomes curious about something she has yet to test with her power. She has decided to get involved and will appear once the fighting starts to get boring.

Ellen's fight with Collette is going fine at the moment. Whenever Ellen can't dodge Collette's attacks, she merely puts up a territory. Collette starts chuckling as she compliments Ellen's skills.

"This is exactly how'd I hoped this would be. Your perfect territory hasn't dulled despite your betrayal."

Ellen doesn't respond to Collette's banter. Collette then says.

"It took me a while, but I've finally developed a technique that will pierce through your territory."

Collette charges her rapier causing it glow brightly and an orb of energy to gather at the hilt. Ellen puts up her territory to block it. Collette charges and stabs her rapier at Ellen's territory. It puts a small dent, but nothing serious; until, she calls out.

"Fer-De-Lance!"

The orb at the hilt surges to the tip of the blade and gives so much force that it causes Collette's rapier to pierce through the territory and she stabs Ellen in her left arm. Ellen pulls back before she loses her arm. Ellen clutches her injured left arm and thinks that she may be in trouble with her opponent. Collette laughs at her achievement and appears to be ready for another strike.

 **(Author's note- The next chapter will be the final part of the Miku timeline. I just wanted to establish who would be fighting who.)**


	22. Chapter 22 Complete

CH.22 Demons

Saori watches the action from the roof of a nearby building and is fiddling with her two swords. She is simply bored and yawns. She stands up and says to herself.

"Well, I think I'm in the mood for an experiment. Life isn't fun without variables."

She enters her spirit form and warps towards the manor. Starting with the fight between Akihiko and Jessica, the latter has taken to the sky and is firing claw-shaped blasts from her new weapon, and each blast is powerful enough to put small craters in the ground. Jessica has grin as she continues to fire her weapon. Aki is getting annoyed and demands.

"Do something else already, will ya!"

Jessica continues to fire as she answers, smugly.

"Why mess with a good thing?"

Aki decides that he has to counter her blasts, so he waits for another blast and deflects it using his new sword. Jessica uses the feathers on the arm as shield to block the attack. Realizing that he is at a disadvantage, Aki decides to try something he hasn't tried in a while. He charges up his sword and gets ready to jump. Jessica puts up her wing shield again to block whatever Aki unleashes. His sword charged, Aki leaps into the sky with heavy force, holds his sword forward, it glows brightly, and once he gets to the same altitude as Jessica, Aki thrusts his sword forward and it extends by using his energy making resemble a sword made of light. He announces the technique name.

"Blade of Heaven!"

Jessica blocks the attack with her wing shield. The sword crackles with energy as it clashes with the energy feathers. Jessica smiles since it appears she has rendered Aki's attacks useless, but Aki's sword begins to gather more energy, but it is a very dark shade of purple. He has no idea what is happening as the sword extends longer and pierces through the shield and lightly stabs Jessica below her breast. She is surprised at this, but not as much as Aki is as he thinks.

" _What...just happened?"_

Jessica's eyes look shocked as she falls to the ground again, but this time, she is unconscious. Aki lands safely on the ground and has difficulty processing everything that has just happened, but it appears that he has beaten his opponent. This gets him smiling as he declares.

"I finally did it! I actually won on my own!"

He looks at his sword and thinks.

" _Wow, this sword really helped me out. Maybe I misjudged that guy."_

Out of concern, Aki checks on Jessica to make sure he didn't do too much damage. As runs up to her to get closer, and as he approaches, Jessica rises from the ground quickly, and stabs Aki in the chest with the talons on her hand.

Up to Hiro fighting with Origami. Hiro has taken the advantage quickly with his fight with the other version of his mother. He has already gotten a few good hits in against her; while she hasn't even scratched him. Origami is panting as she getting tired from fighting such a quick opponent. She is at a disadvantage due to Hiro's weapons; which he explains.

"Do you know why I can't lose to you? Because I was built to be one thing, you're destruction!"

Hiro has yet to equip his helm and fights her with sustaining any injuries whatsoever. Origami charges up a powerful shot and fires, but Hiro counters by slicing it in half using his dual blades in a circle formation. He further berates her by saying.

"Joining DEM meant that lost any chance of beating me. If Ellen Mira Mathers couldn't beat me, then you don't have a chance in hell."

Origami attempts a territory around herself, but Hiro immediately destroys it and grabs her by the chest of her suite. He then threateningly says.

"I'll give two options. One, you can quit DEM and quit hunting Spirits, or, you can try to fight me, and I promise you won't be able to move after I finish this fight."

Origami then asks one question to follow. Something that she really doesn't want to hear, but asks anyway.

"Is your father…"

Hiro interrupts her as he answers.

"Shido Itsuka is my father."

Origami then appears sad, and asks.

"Don't you care about your parents?"

Hiro coldy answers.

"I love my parents, but I hate DEM even more. I am DEM's enemy, I am the Spirit's ally, and I won't let my feelings interfere with my mission, DEM's annihilation.

Origami is surprised to hear the Spirit part, and says.

"But Spirits kill people!"

Hiro responds.

"People kill people, the Spirit's only attack when provoked. I don't count Spacial Quakes either."

Origami argues.

"Kurumi has killed thousands of people without real reason! How can you defend that!?"

But Hiro responds.

"I-don't-care. The Kurumi I know runs an animal sanctuary and can barely see. I don't care about the people she's killed."

Origami prepares to the counter with the various weapons on her Realizer, but Hiro lets her go, and with the blink of any eye, he focuses and slashes her Realizer to pieces and destroys her weapons. He then grabs her again, and says.

"Never show your face before me again."

He then casually tosses Origami on a nearby roof and leaves her alone. Origami can't believe that she lost so easily with DEM's technology backing her up, so she comes to the conclusion that she needs to find out where Hiro get his equipment. As she thinks this, Origami hears a voice saying.

"I can't stand the sight of you."

She turns around and sees someone standing on the roof of with building with her. She hasn't interacted with her, but it is Freki, one of Shinra's subordinates. Origami perceives her as an ally, but Freki shatters this idea with her next statement.

"Shinra really only needs one of you, so I think I'll take you out of the equation."

Without her weapons, Origami is in trouble as Freki charges with killing intent.

To Ellen fighting with Collette. Ellen is handicapped now with her left arm being hurt. Their fight isn't making much progress; as Ellen is still fighting very well with use of only one arm. This pleases Collette who is clearly enjoying their fight. Ellen is working on a strategy, but she has to lure Collette into making certain moves. They are currently clashing swords, and Collette asks, menacingly.

"Why aren't you using your best attacks? I thought Pendragon was built to fit your skills, Mathers."

Ellen replies.

"Clearly, you haven't looked closely at my Realizer. If you did, you'd notice that this isn't Pendragon; it is called Alexander."

Collette backs off and says.

"Different name, same results."

She sets up for her J'accuse attack again. Ellen notices this, and sets up a blue-colored territory in response. The attack cracks it like before, but the territory shines a little as it gets hit. He Alexander then glows slightly gold. Collette notices this and wonders what Ellen is planning, but she concludes.

" _If I finish her before she can initiate her plan, then there shouldn't be any problems."_

Collette takes a moment to ready for her next assault. To Mana vs **Mana** , the two are fighting on relatively even grounds, but **Mana** appears to be weaker because of her apparent operation. However, she has a much higher tolerance towards pain as Mana has injured her a few times without a single wince, twitch, or flinch. Mana has barely taken any hits so far. Mana asks her other self in a serious tone.

"What are here for?"

 **Mana** answers, stoically.

"To capture a Spirit Child."

Mana is wondering why her opponent just blatantly admitted her plan. Then a territory appears around Mana and shocks her. Artemisia set it up and **Mana** leaves to complete her mission. Mana now understands why; she knew that she can't be stopped at this point. **Mana** flies closer to the mansion since it is apparent that her target is Shiori. Mana is very disgusted at this version of herself as it appears she has been reduced to a machine that follows orders without question. Artemisia prepares for assault. Mana readies herself to fight her replacement, but before they can get too close to each other, Saori appears between them with a mischievous smile on her face; causing both of the wizards to stop. Saori turns her head, looks at Mana, and says, playfully.

"I want to play with Miss Ashcroft, if you'd be so kind."

Mana is nervous about letting Saori take control, but feels like she has no real choice but to agree. Saori then slightly sticks out her tounge and faces Artemisia. She (Saori) looks at her with a more serious smile and tells her.

"Hello, I'm here to have some fun with you. So don't disappoint me."

Artemisia then readies for assault again, and notices Saori whisper something and her clock begins to move faster indicating she is readying a bullet. Artemisia then puts up a territory in hopes of taking Saori's crystal. However, Saori dodges and a bullet comes from behind and hits Artemisia causing her to freeze in place. Saori seemingly doesn't move, and moments later, Artemisia is back to normal. She notices that Saori has some blood on her hands, but she feels perfectly fine, except for slight chest pain. She puts up another territory again, and this time it succeeds. Saori in clenching from the pain as Artemisia begins chanting to remove Saori's crystal. But nothing happens for a minute; Mana is tempted to help, but has mixed feelings about helping a girl who clearly has ill intentions. After a minute, nothing still happens, so Artemisia stops. Saori has some steam coming from her body as she sweats a little from the pain as she is hunched over. She lifts herself up, and has some blood coming from her mouth; she wipes it with her hand and now has an upset look as she proclaims, deadly.

"Okay, now you've really pissed me off."

Saori turns to Mana and demands.

"Get the hell out here, please."

Mana is baffled by the demand, but doesn't want to argue, especially with Saori, so she leaves. Artemisia pays no heed to Saori's seemingly pointless demand and charges again. Saori makes no effort to move, and as her sword comes down at Saori, Artemisia is suddenly stopped and can't move. She struggles through this paralysis but can't even move a single muscle. Saori then casually slaps her (Artemisia) sword out of her hand and says.

"You thought that because I have powers, I had a crystal in my body, and thought that it could be removed. You are so ignorant."

Unable to move, Artemisia can only listen to Saori's explanation of what's happening.

"I'll let you to turn your head to see what happened."

Artemisia turns her head and sees Saori's guardian behind her with twenty red threads coming from her fingers and toes. Unable to analyze what's happening, Artemisia continues to listen to Saori's twisted explanation of what is happening.

"Oh, I forgot to mention…I took this."

Saori produces a jar that has red coating the inside and it can't be seen into. Saori casually tosses it around with a playful smile as she asks.

"Do you know what this is?"

Saori sarcastically waits for a response, and then explains, with a demented smile.

"No? Well, this would be your heart."

Saori then crushes the jar with her hand leaving a crimson pulp in her hand, and she adds.

"Well, it was."

She then snaps her finger and dead Kurumi pops out a small portal from above. Saori holds it up and points to a hole in the chest.

"I swapped yours with this one's."

Artemisia then manages to say.

"You…couldn't….have."

Saori shakes her head and retorts.

"On the contrary, I can, I did, and that is why we're here."

When Saori stopped Artemisia with her previous attack, Saori sped up time around herself to perform the replacement without killing her opponent. She had two Kurumis hold onto the guns that carried the enchanted bullets. She had to wait for blood to pump through Artemisia's body before assuming control, which she explains.

"You see, I can control these dead copies of my mother, but this extends to their organs, and with the heart of one, I can control that as an extension. In other words, I have complete control of your circulatory system. Now, it's time for a game."

Saori smiles sadistically as she chuckles a little.

Inside the manor, Kurumi readies to teleport the children, Miku, Tohka, and Shido to the ship. But Shiori realizes that her father is still in the master bedroom, so she runs off to go get him. Miku tries to go after her, but Shido says.

"No, I'll go with her. Kurumi, please get them to ship, please."

Kurumi nods with a smile, grabs Miku around the waist, and warps away with the others. Kotori is another part of the manor, and is kicking open different door in the hopes of finding her brother and any others. Fortunately, she kick opens a door and hears crying. Kotori realizes that she has stumbled onto the nursery. She puts down Camael and walks over to the crib to check on nephew of this time. Kotori looks into it, and sees the crying baby; she picks it up and tries to calm him down by gently rocking him and saying calming things.

"Come on, it's going okay. Aunt Kotori's going to get you back to your mommy."

Kotori does her best to avoid burning the child with her flames. She holds him close and runs out the door to check the rest of the manor for anyone else who could have been forgotten. Kotori looks around, and sees **Mana** and immediately recognizes that she isn't her friend. Kotori is nervous as she thinks.

" _Oh this is crap-tastic, I can't fight her while holding this kid, and I can't just set him down in the middle of fight."_

Kotori holds the baby closer as she summons Camael again, but has to hold it with one hand. **Mana** shoots a straight blast at Kotori, which she manages to block with her Camael, but her fingers are grazed by the laser. They heal quickly, but **Mana** continues to blast more while approaching closer. Kotori is getting more nervous as she can't think of anything else to do but block with her halberd. The baby keeps crying and Kotori can't do anything about it. More concerned for her nephew's safety, Kotori decides to imbed Camael into the floor and sprints off down the hallway while she carries him in angle that the lasers will not hit him from **Mana's** firing zone. Kotori starts taking hits at the side of her body which hurts, but she won't let anything happen to the child. As Kotori passes past a corridor, Shiori enters the hall from that point, and as she enters it, she is hit through the chest by the lasers and falls backwards. Kotori, horrified, stops running and Shido comes through the corridor to see the horrifying site. Shiori is on the ground and blood seeps from the injury as she lies on the ground dying. Shido becomes distraught immediately he runs up to Shiori and picks up her torso in his arms. She has blood coming from her mouth as she is showing signs of extreme pain, and even mutters.

"It hurts..it hurts."

Shiori then begins to go into shock. Shido is panicking since she is dying in his arms. Kotori, enraged by this, looks Shido and places the baby close to him as she says, in a silent rage.

"Hold him…This has gone far enough."

Shido, concerned, asks his sister.

"Kotori, what are you going to do?"

Kotori's eyes glow red with rage as she answers.

"I'm going to watch her burn for this."

Kotori summons Camael again and with both hands free, she deflects the lasers and slowly approaches her opponent with a furious look on her face. Shido wants to stop his sister, but can't leave Shiori to die. He is panicking more frantically as he has no idea of what he can do to help. He looks at his hand and tries for anything as he shouts.

"DO SOMETHING! COME ON, SHIDO, DO SOMETHING!"

He is starting to cry as he doesn't want this to happen. The baby, who is still crying loudly, begins to glow a little and a light seeps from his tiny body. Shido is still in his panic as he fails to notice the light going into Shiori's body. Shiori's body begins to glow as well. Her wound begins to close, the blood from her face fades, and she starts seeing images of her mother. Shido now notices and thanking everything since he knows what is coming. Shiori's eyes then glow yellow as a glowing set of strings emerge from the ground and wrap into a ball above her body. Her body begins to glow as she reaches into the air and a bright sea-green dress appears around her body. It resembles Miku's dress, but the skirt is slightly longer, a piece of periwinkle colored cloth hangs from the inside of her skirt, a silver crescent moon accessory; with sea-green and periwinkle counterparts to Miku's dress. Shiori grabs the ball of strings and they glow golden and transform into yellow and indigo colored electric guitar forms in her hand.

Shiori then appears to come back to reality and looks at herself and her new guitar. She is shocked at first, but she then immediately turns her attention to her crying baby brother. Shiori walks over and picks him up. She immediately comforts him and gets him to calm down. Shido wipes some sweat from his forehead after this scare. Shiori notices his reaction to her transformation and asks.

"Do you know what is going on, Mr. Naruhodou?"

Shido decides to explain everything to Shiori since she is involved now. He gets her to hide with him in a nearby room to avoid the violence that is occurring around the mansion and inside it.

Back to Ellen and Collette, Ellen has taken a couple more hits, but is close to getting her plan in motion. Her Realizer is glowing like a star in the night sky. Collette is still unsure about what Ellen is planning and is unleashing her best attacks. She is setting up for Aure Dominium by creating the star symbol with her rapier. Ellen puts up her blue territory again to guard the attack. The blast of energy is blocked by Ellen's territory, but it the pull causes her to get winded from the amount of fatigue she is feeling from her injuries and energy usage. This time, the blue territory turns gold as Ellen stands still and waits. Collette sees this and says, smugly.

"I see your plan, but it won't work. Your territory won't work once I pierce through it."

Collette charges Fer-De-Lance to pierce through the territory. Ellen remains still as Collette makes her rapier connect with the gold territory. She then prepares to pierce through it as she shouts.

"Fer-De…."

Before Collette's attack can finish, the territory disperses and transform into chain-like binds that wrap around Collette's arms and legs as a sigil forms below both her and Ellen. Collette cannot move and says, irritated.

"So this was your real plan."

Ellen has a serious expression as she explains.

"What makes my Realizer different from Pendragon is that it can absorb energy from my opponent's attacks. But it can only do that once I put up a special territory. Once I realized what attacks you'd be using, I simply decided to play at your ignorance to finish this fight. Now…"

The sigil begins to expel energy from itself at a slow pace that causes sharp pain to Collette, but Ellen is just starting this attack as she declares.

"Struggle against these holy chains…."

The sigil now begins to emit a sound that signifies build up, and Ellen shouts.

"Shining Bind!"

The sigil erupts with golden energy that nearly destroys Collette's Realizer and she screams loudly from the even more intense pain as she is shot through the sky by the intense burst of energy. Ellen lowers herself down to the ground and unequips her Realizer. She then grips her arm around her wound. She needs to get back to the ship and get medical assistance before she passes out. She stumbles as she walks to where the ship should be floating above.

" _That woman was tough. I don't know how much longer I could have lasted. At least I stopped her, for now."_

Aboard the Bifrost, Akane is welcoming Miku and her children to the ship. However, Miku is in a panic because she realized that her baby isn't with her, so she yelling at Akane."

"You! I want my baby! Let off the ship so I can get him! Or go get him yourself! I don't care how, just get me my baby!"

Akane now realizes she is not going to hear the end of it, so she looks at Kurumi, only to see that she has already left; causing her to say, mad.

"I can't believe that bitch just left me alone with this pissed off mother."

Akane looks at Miku, who is now covering her two boy's ears with an upset look. She is now going get a language lecture from Miku.

Two out of the five wizards have been defeated, three remain. Inside the manor, Kotori is relentlessly assaulting **Mana** and their fight has escalated to the backyard of the manor. The backyard has a playground built in for the children. **Mana** is panting since Kotori has taken control of the fight. Kotori is still angered by Shiori's injury and has no idea that she is alright. Kotori is unaffected by her previous injuries as they have already healed. Her opponent, on the other hand, isn't as fortunate. **Mana** is still injured from her previous battles despite their shortness. She doesn't speak much, but she mumbles to herself.

"Must..complete assignment…Must succeed…for Director…"

Kotori walks over to her opponent and mockingly says.

"What a sad thing you've become. Losing your humanity has made a very boring opponent. Endangering children, attacking unarmed people, and being unable to put up a decent battle; yeah, you've really sunk low. But don't worry, I'll put you out of your misery….Camael Megido!"

 **Mana** is unable to move out of the way as Kotori readies her canon. As Kotori charges her canon, Hiro walks to the battle scene to check on his ally. He sees the scene, and simply leans at the doorway he's standing at. He watches as Kotori is ready to launch her attack. Kotori smiles with her eyes glowing red. Mana makes her way to help Kotori, but is terrified to see that Kotori is seconds away from firing her canon. Knowing that Kotori will regret this, Mana charges to divert the canon's trajectory, but Hiro flies towards her to prevent her from stopping the canon. Mana is visibly upset as she says, slightly panicked.

"Hiro, we have to stop her. Kotori won't be able to handle this when she reverts!"

Hiro then gets serious as he argues.

"They came here to kill us. We can't make exceptions."

Mana retorts.

"No, they came to capture a Spirit Child."

Hiro makes no remarks, but Mana finally gets to him by saying.

"Do you want her to live with this!?"

Hiro turns his head towards Kotori and nods

Kotori's canon then fires a massive blast of fire and it is on a direct course to hit **Mana**. Hiro utilizes his Mana Eater's full capabilities to dash in and grab **Mana** to pull her to safety. Kotori gets irritated as she readies another blast. She prepares to charge until she hears a voice shout.

"STOP!"

Kotori then feels a sudden urge to lower her weapon and stops with her eyes still glowing. Mana looks and sees Shiori standing nearby with a worried look on her face. Shido is standing with her. Shido explained how her powers should work to her. Being familiar with Miku's power, Shido has a base idea of what Shiori can do. Shido makes his way to Kotori to bring her back to normal. He manages to get her to revert back without having any true damage done. Mana joins her brother and Kotori to brief a little. Luckily, Kotori is easily calmed back down thanks to Shiori's command. Once they've calmed down, Mana asks.

"Hey, where's Hiro?"

Hiro walk towards the group holding a bloody dual blade, which he twirls to clean it. Shido, worried, asks.

"Hiro, how did you get blood on your weapon?"

Hiro casually anwers.

"I finished Kotori's fight."

Now scared, Shido asks.

"Did you kill her!?"

To which Hiro calmly nods his head. Shido then gets upset and berates him.

"That isn't right! You can't just…"

Hiro then gives Shido a glare as he interrupts.

"Do what? Kill the enemy? Of course I'd do that, Shido. We can't have these things coming back."

Mana now feels a little afraid of Hiro as she adds.

"What!? She was a person. She was…me once…Does that mean."

Hiro, now more serious, explains.

"DEM will send more after us. I won't let them think that we're above killing. I'm certainly not, and neither are you, Mana."

Mana cannot deny what Hiro says. She has killed multiple copies of Kurumi, Jessica, and was even planning on killing her alternate self. But Shido still argues.

"But we can't just kill them. Hiro, please…no more. I don't want to see you kill anyone anymore."

Hiro doesn't respond; he simply walks past Shido and says, coldly.

"I got some unfinished business to take care of. Shido, do what you want; I'll see you on the ship."

Kotori comments on his actions with a calm tone.

"He does what needs to be done."

Shido looks at his sister and utters.

"Kotori…"

Kotori then adds.

"But I don't agree with him."

Mana decides to go retrieve the body so that no one else can see it. Luckily, Shiori didn't hear any of this since she went to see if her father is okay.

Hiro goes back to the roof where he left Origami with the intent to finish her as well. On the roof, Freki has Origami laying on the ground with her body being broken. Origami assumed she and Freki are comrades, so she asks, weakly.

"Why? …don't you work for…DEM?"

Freki walks over to her broken opponent and grabs her throat with a vicious grip and answers, sternly.

"Not on your life. I hate DEM for what they did to us. And I hate you even more. You…who…."

Origami can't fight back at this point can only gasp for air as her vision goes blurry. Freki tilts her head to look at Origami to see the life fade from her eyes. This causes her hat to fall off, and to Origami's absolute shock, reveals that her face is identical to Origami's. Her hair is the same only slightly longer, her eyes are azure, and she has a tattoo on her forehead that says CWM-O. Freki then tightens her grip and breaks her foes neck. Freki then stands up and takes a deep breath; she did what she came here to do and leaves before anyone else can arrive.

Back to Saori and Artemisia, Saori is smiling sadistically as she explains.

"The game we'll play is called "Guess what I just broke". Here are the rules; I break an organ or a muscle in your body, and you guess what I broke. Guess three in a row right, and I'll let you go. Got it? Good. I'll let you talk to be fair."

Saori snaps her fingers and a loud ripping sound is heard and Artemisia is starting to sweat as she expresses the pain and says.

"You broke…a deltoid…"

Saori then makes a buzzer noise as she says.

"Oh, you had the right muscle…But I forgot to tell you that you have to give your answer in Portuguese to get the point."

Saori then starts cracking her fingers and stretching her arms as more loud snapping and ripping noises are heard. Saori begins to get a little annoyed since her victim isn't screaming, and comments.

"Well that's no fun. It really isn't the same without hearing the bitch squeal and cry…so let's up the ante.

Saori begins slowing down to intensify the pain more, and finally, after many more attempts, Artemisia finally lets out a loud scream from the pain. Saori then blushes and says in a sultry tone.

"Oh yeah, that's enough to get engine going."

Finally satisfied, Saori is now ready to finish it. Before finally severing the jugular, Saori mockingly says.

"Oh, and the funny part is…I don't a word of Portuguese."

Saori gives one final snap and ends it. Shen then opens a small dark portal and a group of her dead Kurumis emerge to take the body with them. Saori then cracks her neck and says.

"Well, that really fun."

Saori then turns around and sees Hiro floating behind her. He has a look of disbelief as he asks.

"How did you beat her so easily? Even I couldn't do it that well."

Saori then casually floats to Hiro, lightly slaps his face a couple of times, and answers.

"Because no human can match my whit. I prefer playing smart, rather than hard."

Hiro has already found Origami's body. He found it before seeing Saori. When he saw it, he coldly said before leaving due his indifference at her death.

"It's only your fault that you died like a dog. I cannot pity you."

The only fight that remains is Akihiko and Jessica. Aki is badly injured from being stabbed in the chest by Jessica's weapon. He has a little blood dripping from his mouth, and he is clenching his chest where the wound is. Jessica has taken a huge advantage in this fight due to her underhanded attack. He is unable to properly fight back due to only using one arm at swing his sword with. Jessica kicks him around like a ragdoll. She has her foot on his head while he lays on the ground. Jessica has a look of ruthlessness as she insults him.

"Hahahaha, why did I get with the weakest one? Only idiots check to see if their enemy is alright. Wow, I simply can't believe how easy this was."

Jessica then begins stomping on Aki's head as he becomes angry. He thinks to himself.

" _I'm…not weak. I'm sick of being inferior to them…I'm sick of being pushed around. I'm sick of being reliant on others….AND I'M SICK OF DEM!"_

Aki's eyes suddenly turn empty with darkness as his sword begins to emit a dark aura. He suddenly has a burst of energy and forcefully stands up knocking Jessica back a little. His body is now emitting the same aura as his sword and his wounds even close as he wipes the blood from his face. Jessica is started to get a chill down her spine a little and can't understand why. She readies more blasts from her hand like before, but Aki immediately gets up close to her and fiercely grips it with a tight grasp. Jessica barely manages to get her hand out of it and readies her blast, but to her shock.

"He squished the discharged system."

Jessica sees that the blasting unit in her weapon has been crushed by Aki's grip. He immediately follows with a powerful headbutt that causes her face to bleed. Jessica then tries to fly away, but Aki grabs her by the ankle and slams her back to the ground and stomps on her stomach four times. Jessica manages to discharge a small barrier with her weapon that pushes Aki away. Jessica is recovering from his vicious assault. Aki now assumes a one-handed stance with his sword being held over his shoulder. Jessica's weapon then begins to glow itself and her body's mana begins to radiate as it goes into the core of her weapon which is in the palm of her hand. Jessica then cries out as this causes her great pain. Her weapon then begins to extend itself by covering more of Jessica's body; from covering her entire arm, to covering part of her back. She sweats profusely from the pain. Jessica, now realizing the danger, puts up a territory around Aki just long enough to flee the scene.

Aki then starts to pant as the aura around his body dissipates. He then starts seeing the images of Tohka looking sad again and it snaps him out of what he was in. He doesn't exactly realize what happened, but he realizes that he won the fight which causes him great excitement. He completely ignores the aura that came out of his sword. He reverts to his normal form and runs to find the others inside the mansion.  
Jessica has flown far enough away to hide in an alley. She reverts to her normal form and her weapons configures to a wristband with a hawk symbol. She is exhausted from using it and her face is still hurting.

" _Damn, I didn't think that this Mana Eater thing would be so taxing."_

As Jessica catches her breath, her ally, Collette stumbles into the alley with her and leans against the wall. Even though her clothes are fine since she also reverted, Collette is covered with burn marks and cuts as she is also exhausted. Collette then asks Jessica.

"Are we the only ones left, Bailey?"

Jessica says she isn't sure since she fled quickly. Collette immediately deduces.

"Then Tobiichi, Takamiya, and Ashcroft are dead. I knew they were pathetic. I'm rather impressed YOU survived though, Bailey."

Jessica isn't in any mood for the insults, so she says.

"I think we should withdraw. We're both too injured to carry on."

Collette remarks.

"I agree. We can't beat them if they've already killed three of us. Plus our condition is unsuited for fighting at the moment."

The two then use a crystal they received from Shinra to retreat this world and report their failure.

The group gets together aboard the Bifrost after coming back together after all their fighting. Miku has her sons resting in the sleeping quarters with their father. Aki found him while searching the mansion and Shido has yet to meet him. Shiori is with the group as is her mother. Ellen is resting in the medical wing with Mana helping with her bandages. Tohka is also resting in the medical wing. The others are on bridge. Shiori is having her status explained to her by Akane. Shido is talking with Miku about what happened. He apologizes to her about what happened.

"Look, Miku, I'm really sorry about your home. It was so nice too."

Miku smiles and shakes her head.

"No, I'm just happy that my children are safe. We can always rebuild the manor. We'll just stay with my Darling's parents for a while."

Shido scratches the back of his head as he asks.

"But won't that cost a ton of money?"

Miku explains.

"Shido, I said I'm successful business woman, remember? I didn't say that to flirt. I'm the owner of Full Moon Records; the studio that Shiori is signed with."

Shido can only imagine the mint that Miku has made off of her daughter's success. Meanwhile, Akane heard about what happened with Shiori, and has started thinking about something. When they arrived on the ship, the baby had a fever, but it passed shortly after Miku took him. So Akane concludes that Shiori didn't have enough Mana in her body to transform, and that's why she didn't despite all of the stress she was feeling. She doesn't have enough data to make a conclusion yet.

Kotori is relieving some stress by talking with Aki about the fights. She doesn't tell him about the full details, and listens to him boast about his victory. Hiro and Saori are eating in the kitchen. Hiro has decided to never let Saori out of his sight again after what she pulled in the trial. They haven't told anyone else about the other two deaths that occurred, and don't intend to tell the truth about it either.

Miku decides to go to her boys and rest with them since she just wants to spend time with them. Shiori speaks with the rest of the group after hearing about their journey. She says.

"Listen, I know I'm not very good with stress. I know I'm not very strong. And I know I'm new to this "Spirit Child" thing…But I want to go with you all."

Shido opposes this idea as he explains.

"Shiori, we've met dangerous people so far on this thing. I don't want you to get hurt."

Akane doesn't disagree with Shido, but adds.

"Shido, I would like to see what I can learn about Spirit Children, and I may need her for research."

Akihiko agrees to let her come along, Kotori thinks the idea isn't bad, but they will need to be careful. Shido agrees in the end, but is still unsure about the whole thing. The only real thing left to do is to get permission from Miku. By the end of the night, the group drops off the Itsuka family of this time. Tohka's injuries aren't fully healed, but she should recover with rest. They are dropped off by Shido's old home and they'll order the repairs in the morning.

The next day, Shiori is waving to others from the street to be picked up. She is now wearing more normal clothing from her pop star outfit. It is a simple long-sleeved yellow buttoned shirt with a blue knee-length skirt and white tennis shoes. She has a luggage bag and a backpack with her. Seeing her ready to go, the group beams her up, and gets ready to take off to the next world. But, not before Miku runs over to the same area and is shouting something. They can't hear what she's saying, but Shiori just says.

"GO GO GO!"

The group opens the next gateway to the next timeline. Shiori doesn't say it, but her mother actually said no. But Shiori disobeyed her mother to leave. She also noticed earlier that Shido and Aki are both wearing dirty school uniforms, so she gives Shido a pair of her father's old clothes, and gives Aki a new outfit that consists of a sleeveless shirt that zips up and down that he wears under a purple short-sleeved jacket. Blue jeans with purple trim, black tennis shoes, and his jacket has a sword symbol on the back. Shiori explains that it was originally going to be Tohka's stage outfit, but it was designed for a man due a miscommunication with the designer. Aki loves his new clothes and thanks his new friend.

The group is now full of uncertainties. Hiro is shown to relentless in his goals, Saori has proven she can't be trusted, Ellen is injured and has her arm in a sling for a little while, and Aki is keeping secrets from his friends. But Shido is still determined to find Tohka and Origami then return home with the help of his new friends.


	23. Chapter 23

CH.23 Snow In The Park

The next timeline is revealed to the group. This time, the city is covered in a blanket of pure white snow. Everyone is in awe of the beauty that the city in this winter wonderland. Shiori appears to be especially excited as she has a mystified expression and says.

"I love the snow. Every time I see it, I always play with my brothers in it. We make snowmen, build fortes, and daddy makes the best hot chocolate…"

Shiori continues to go off on her memories. Akane says the obvious about this situation.

"One problem, we don't have winter clothes."

Hiro plainly states.

"I'm used to cold weather; I've spent lots of time in the Russian snowfields."

Ellen, still wearing a sling, suggests.

"I still have a lot of money on hand. We'll decide who will stay, and the others will come with me to get some winter coats."

Shido approaches Ellen with worry and asks.

"Are you sure, Ellen? You're still hurt from your last fight."

Ellen shakes her head and replies, calmly.

"I appreciate your concern, but really, I'm fine."

Kurumi decides to go with again since she stayed on the ship during the party. Kotori also decides to stay to learn more about the ship. Shiori wants to see the snow. Akane wants to get off the ship since she spent a good deal of time aboard last time. Aki wants to train more, but without Ellen to train with, he'd rather go with. Mana stays on the ship to learn more about it as well. This is because they have discovered communicators that the group can use to contact the bridge on the ship. But there are only four of them.

(Note: I will bold who has the communicators)

With the party decided, **Shido** , **Ellen, Akane** , Aki, Shiori, **Hiro** , Saori, and Kurumi depart for a clothing store. Once they arrive in the city, the cold starts getting to them quickly, so they run for a clothing store. Luckily, they run into a nearby one since it is so close. It is a small shop, but has a nice selection. Ellen settles on a simple tan heavy coat with matching snow boots. Shido gets a white scarf, brown coat, and black snow shoes. Akane gets a thin red fur coat that has a feather-line collar. Aki gets a purple-dyed denim coat that protects against heavy rains, but keeps warm. Kurumi selects a black thin coat with a black rose on the ends of the collar with matching boots and a red scarf. Shiori selects a yellow coat with a crescent moon on the back. She already brought boots and a neck warmer, so she settles with the coat. Hiro remains in his Colonel uniform, and Saori buys the same thing as Kurumi which makes them look even more similar.

With their new clothes, the group leaves the store and splits up to scout the city more. They aren't very worried about DEM attacking again because of their failed attempt. Speaking of which; Jessica and Collette have already reported their failure and the casualties that the mission sustained. Jessica, at the moment, is at a bar with Collette after being informed that her ally is there. Collette is not wearing her monocle while she drinks.

Collette is drinking what appears to be red wine; and Jessica orders a glass of water. The bar is rather ritzy as it is place for more financially endowed people. Jessica is still upset is about Collette attacking her. They are both still feeling their injuries but they've been treated mostly. The two ladies sit next to each other. Collette doesn't appear to be her battle hungry, arrogant, self. Rather, she looks depressed. Jessica opens by casually saying.

"Due to our failure, we've been dismissed from the next mission."

Collette turns her eyes to Jessica and retorts with a non-caring tone.

"Whatever, Bailey."

Jessica notices Collette's non-caring attitude and asks.

"Do you not care that we have been disregarded for the next mission."

(Still not caring) "Why? Isaac will send more expendable trash like you and Takamiya. They'll die, more will be sent, and the world loses a couple more worthless lives."

Jessica clenches her fist but maintains her composure.

"I am not expendable, Collette. I…"

Collette interrupts.

"You, me, and even Mathers are expendable. It doesn't really matter how strong we get; in the end, Isaac will find others to take our places. As Adeptus 2, I know what it means. Ashcroft replaced Takamiya upon her betrayal, I replaced Ashcroft when I defeated her and took the title, and I plan to take Ellen's place as Adeptus 1."

Jessica becomes curious about Collette's pessimistic view, and yet wants the title.

"Why do you care about that? Did you not just admit that you think of yourself as expendable?"

Collette orders another of what she is drinking and answers.

"Because, I want to prove to all DEM wizards that they are expendable. To do that, I will take down Mathers and usurp her title from her."

Jessica then asks.

"Really? Then you plan to prove it to me as well?"

"Yes, I do, Bailey."

Jessica smiles and offers.

"Then how about we settle this outside? With how much you've had to drink…"

Collette immediately says.

"I'm drinking grape juice. No alcohol exists in it."

Collette then puts down her glass, leaves, and says.

"I do not get pleasure from torturing my own body…or anything anymore for that matter."

Collette then swiftly slices her fingers through her glass and cleanly cleaves it in half. She then explains.

"What makes me less expendable is that, unlike Mathers, I'm not helpless without my Realizer. I could kill anyone at DEM in a normal fight. Once the Realizer comes on, Mathers can beat me."

Collette stands up and is prepared to leave, but before she leaves, she nonchalantly asks Jessica.

"Would you like to accompany me tonight, Bailey? I'm usually up for anything."

Jessica blushes slightly and responds without looking at Collette.

"No thank you. I have a personal preference that you don't meet."

Collette shrugs and says.

"Well, I can always find someone else."

Jessica stays behind to get something to eat and is flustered over what Collette said.

Back to the group. Shido is with Kurumi, Aki is with Akane, Hiro is with Saori, and Ellen is with Shiori. Shido and Kurumi are taking a walk through the park to hopefully find some clues to find Tohka or Origami. Shido has been a little uncomfortable since Hiro killed the alternate Mana that attacked Miku's manor in the last world. Kurumi notices this, and tells him.

"Shido, you know he's killed before. It's nothing new."

Shido already knows this and he's been told multiple times. He responds calmly.

"But to see him actually do it…I hope this doesn't happen again."

Kurumi shatters this wish by simply saying.

"It will, inevitably, happen again. Shido, he's a misanthropist (hates humans) and has no real regard for human life."

Shido shakes his head and refutes.

"No, I refuse to believe that. I believe in him; just like I believe in the others."

Kurumi then adds something that Shido has yet to think about.

"Why do care? Once this over, you'll probably never see him again. Or Saori, or Aki, or Akane, ect."

Shido stops in his tracks and tilts his head down with a slightly sad look.

"Yeah…I know that. I just didn't want to think about it too much. It kind of hurts to think that once this is over, I may never see them again; it's not a very good way of thinking, Kurumi."

Shido then puts his head back and adds with a slightly happier tone.

"But that's not say I won't ever see all of them ever again. The future is too unpredictable to say that. Who know, I could end up with Tohka and we'll have a son named Kitano for all I know. I could end up with you and we only have a single daughter."

Kurumi blushes and says, in a flirtatious way.

" This again? Are you just obsessed with getting with me? Oh my, I don't know to react anymore."

Shido remains calm and simply responds.

"Who knows, maybe I am, or maybe I'm not."

Kurumi retorts.

"Hey now, Shido, it's my job to tease, not yours."

"Okay, then I'll just say it straight. Kurumi, would you like to go on date with me?"

Kurumi is a little surprised at this forward question. She smiles mischievously.

"My my, Shido. Well, at least you're moving at the right pace. Okay, I accept."

Shido takes Kurumi's hand and they decide to go on a date while they are alone. Kotori sees this aboard the ship, and comments.

"Way to go, Shido. Multi-tasking like this."

In another part of the city, at the shrine, Shiori and Ellen are looking around and are trying to brainstorm ideas to help. Shiori, ever the optimist, suggests.

"Why don't we have a concert. I remember that Tohka likes music and playing the drums."

Ellen, while not really against the idea, has to point out.

"But we're also looking for Origami, and I haven't spoken with her enough to guarantee it would work."

Shiori goes back to the drawing board. As the two ladies think, Shiori hears crying from a small child nearby.

Elsewhere, Aki and Akane are just doing their own thing and are looking around the shopping center. They are approached by a police officer, who asks.

"Excuse me, but have you two seen a little girl? She's about four years old, and has a rabbit puppet on her left hand. Has blue hair and amber-brown eyes. Her mother lost her in the bathroom."

Akane could have just sworn that this officer almost described Yoshino, but with Shido's features. Immediately wondering, she asks the officer.

"Excuse me, sir, but is the woman who lost her daughter named Mrs. Itsuka?"

The officer is not really surprised and responds.

"Ah, so you know her. Well she's waiting at the station if you're worried about her. She's panicking , and in her condition, that especially isn't a good thing."

Concerned, Akane and Aki race to the station to see the Mrs. Itsuka of this time, but they are pretty sure on who it is.

Back at the shrine, Shiori and Ellen have encountered a small girl with Yoshinon on her left hand. The little girl has a similar hairstyle to Yoshino but her hair is slightly shorter and is a darker blue; her eyes are amber-brown and she is shorter than Shiori and Ellen since she is four years old. She is wearing a dark-pink parka with a bunny face on the back, green snow boots, light-yellow pants and has a green scarf covering part of her mouth. She visibly upset and crying. Shiori gets on her knees and gently asks.

"What's wrong, little one?"

Yoshinon gets in Shiori's face and proclaims.

"Hey, Missy, Miyuki isn't little; she's a big girl. She's just upset because she lost her mommy. But Yoshinon is here to protect her."

Shiori humors Yoshinon like Shido does, and says.

"I'm very sorry, Yoshinon. Well, does Miyuki want us to help her find her mommy?"

Yoshinon immediately responds.

"No way! Miyuki's daddy told her not to talk to strangers!"

Ellen takes over for Shiori with this conversation and introduces herself to Miyuki and Yoshinon.

"That's very smart of her daddy. My name is Ellen, and I'm a mommy too."

Yoshinon lets up a little and says.

"Really? Well, where's your kid?"

"She's at home with her own daddy."

The little girl named Miyuki then pulls Yoshinon back and formally introduces herself since she has calmed down a little.

"Um…I'm Miyuki Itsuka…and I…"

Shiori extends her hand and also introduces herself.

"And I'm Shiori. Come on, Miyuki, we'll help you find your mommy."

Miyuki is hesitant, so she asks Yoshinon what to do.

"Yoshinon, what should we do?"

Yoshinon puts on a thinking pose as she debates on what the two should do. Finally, she answers.

"I think we should let them help us."

Miyuki then takes Shiori's hand and begins walking with her to help her find her mother. Ellen contacts the Bifrost with her communicator. She explains the situation to Kotori, who says that she will contact the others and tell them to keep an eye out for anyone who has lost their daughter in the area. Fortunately, Akane and Aki have already found her.

A half hour later, Ellen and Shiori arrive at the shopping center to meet up with Aki and Akane, who are waiting with Miyuki's mother.

Aki is talking with her, it is Yoshino. He is concerned for due to finding out about her condition, while Akane is getting her something to eat that asked for. Yoshino, while far more confident as an adult, expresses deep gratitude to Aki.

"Thank you for finding my little girl. I was so scared that something happened to her."

Aki is curious because Yoshino claims that Miyuki disappeared while they were shopping for ingredients to make cookies and hot chocolate. She (Miyuki) went to the restroom, and suddenly disappeared. She has no idea how Miyuki could have ended up at the shrine. Once they met up with Shiori and Ellen, Miyuki immediately runs and hugs her mother. Ellen and Shiori then get a good look at Yoshino and are both awing as they look at Yoshino as Shiori asks the question with an obvious answer.

"You're having a baby soon?"

Yoshino can't bend over very well, so Miyuki is hugging her mother's belly, which is considerably swollen. Yoshino blushes a little and answer.

"Uh huh; from I've been told, it's a girl. She's really putting up a fuss in belly."

Yoshino is considerably taller than she used to be and her hair is longer. She is wearing a green long heavy coat with dark-yellow fur gloves, brown boots, and white pants. Akane arrives with what Yoshino is craving, a strawberry ice-cream sandwich. Yoshino is grateful to Akane for getting her what she's been craving the last few months. Ellen walks up to Yoshino and politely asks.

"May I feel your stomach?"

Yoshino is a little nervous, but she allows it. Ellen then gently puts her hand to the swollen stomach and feels the baby inside move. Yoshino calms down herself and offers to let everyone feel; which they all accept.

With something he needs to get off his chest, Aki leaves on his own to find Hiro and Saori to talk with them about something. He says that he won't get peace of mind until he speaks his mind.

(Last night)

Aki is unable to get to sleep, so he goes to the bridge of the ship. There, he meets Kurumi, who is also unable to get to sleep. Aki is wearing the clothes he got from Shiori since he doesn't have any pajamas. He approaches Kurumi and says.

"Couldn't get any sleep huh?"

Kurumi's face is turned to the outside, so she turns around and sees him. She responds.

"I've been thinking about some things for a while, that's all."

Aki is hesitant, but asks,

"Kurumi, did…Hiro kill anybody tonight?"

Kurumi curiously responds.

"Why do you want to know?"

"Because I don't trust him. When I finished my fight with Jessica, I only felt two presences flee. I know there were five enemies when we started."

"Wow, you can sense people?"

Aki nods and says.

"Ellen taught me how to do it with my mana. She says it's stronger than most others."

Aki becomes more sincere as pleas.

"Kurumi, please tell if he killed those other three."

Kurumi shrugs and answers.

"He only killed one as far as I know. I believe it was the alternate Mana that came with them."

Aki clenches his fist and his hand emits the dark energy that his sword did when he fought Jessica. Kurumi then says, more straight.

"Aki, in a fight, it's kill or be killed. Hiro doesn't think that DEM wizards deserve to live. He's the kind of person that would slit his own mother's throat if she even had the idea of joining them."

Aki calms down since while he is upset at Hiro, he doesn't want to involve Kurumi since she has nothing to do with his distrust.

Present

Aki thinks to himself

" _I need to settle this with him."_

 **Author's Note- This world will not be as long as the last one. It will probably be one or two more chapters long. Also, you may have figured this out, but chapter 22 was finished a couple days ago. I only say this just as in case. Plus to answer any and all questions on the subject, I will not add Mayuri from the movie into this story, but she may get a mention.**


	24. Chapter 24

CH.24 Operation Dullahan

Hiro and Saori are walking, casually, through the city. Hiro is remembering Saori bringing up a part of his life he'd rather say didn't happen. His ruthlessness, which he accepts, went too far once, and he never fully got over what he did.

2 Years Ago

Hiro is sitting aboard a private jet that is bound for England. He is wearing a designer black suit with matching slacks and shoes. He is also wearing black gloves and a blue tie. His white hair is only slightly longer than his present self. He is on his way to DEM headquarters to display the capabilities of a Mana Eater to Sir Isaac Ray Westcott. The purpose of this display is to maintain trust among organizations that use wizards and Realizer technology. What is unknown to everyone else is that Hiro is also on another assignment. He is sitting next to a window and a woman dressed as an attendant asks in a polite manner.

"Would you like a beverage, or perhaps something to eat?"

Hiro turns to her and returns her politeness by responding in a similar tone.

"I'd like low-fat orange smoothie and a protein bar, please."

Hiro is nervous about his secret assignment and cannot stop remembering his orders. This operation is so secretive, only three other people know about it, and no documentation exists of it. But truly worries Hiro, is that he has permission to use lethal force if necessary. He is supposed to be in England for three days. His real mission: To obtain information regarding Deus Ex Machina's illegal activities; either by disk or by living memory tissue.

Hiro's equipment is his high-frequency katana called The Aorisu, a disk for recording data, and a head containment unit with a solution that keeps a brain alive after it has been removed. Around this time, Hiro uses a katana as he has yet to switch styles. His Aorisu is a long katana that glows blue, the sheath is complete with a trigger that when pressed, it gathers energy to unleash a powerful single slash. The hilt even has a built in material reader that allows Hiro to charge it to pierce through anything with a certain reading.

He isn't alone on his ride; he is accompanied by Ellen Mira Mathers. She looks older at this point, but her hair has turned a sickly grey, and she coughs a lot. She also takes medication every three hours. She is wearing her usual attire with her sunglasses. She remains silent nearly the entire ride. Hiro already doesn't trust her. At this time, he already bears a grudge at DEM. They attacked his school during the Kendo finals. Hiro was competing in the final match when they attacked. They were after the Spirits who were in the audience that night. The results were Hiro's younger sister losing her legs. They had to be amputated to save her life after a bunch of debris fell on her.

Part of him wants to cut her down, but it won't do any good now. He simply waits to arrive at headquarters.

He arrives at DEM Headquarters at roughly late in the evening. Ellen has accompanied Hiro due to Isaac ordering her to guide him around. It takes about a couple of hours to give Hiro the base tour, but Ellen feels too sick to continue with the tour. She coughed a lot during the tour and Hiro could have sworn that he saw some blood come from her mouth.

Once the tour has ended, Hiro is then brought to the Director's office. It is here that he encounters Westcott. Upon entering the large office area, Hiro is immediately greeted by Isaac himself. The man who runs the organization, and a great source of hatred for Hiro. The Director approaches Hiro and greets him in polite, yet uneasy manner.

"Welcome to my organization…Ratatosk, was it? Anyway, you're a guest, make yourself comfortable."

Hiro hides his anger as he even offers a handshake to Westcott, which he accepts with a smirk. Before Hiro exits the room, Isaac says.

"I'm looking forward to seeing your talents tomorrow."

Hiro exits the room, and Isaac says to himself while rubbing his chin with a look of thinking.

"So that was Tobiichi and Takamiya's kid…He'd make a great agent for me. But this may be my greatest challenge yet. Oh well (smiles) they say that trying is just as fun."

Hiro is escorted by a male wizard to his room for the next three days. It is a simple, yet comfortable, dorm-like room with a mini fridge and a bathroom. Hiro simply lies on the bed and immediately goes to sleep. He has a nightmare that has plagued his dreams since the attack on his school. The dream always starts with him at the site of the attack on his school. He hears everybody that he knows screaming for help and the sound of Collette laughing at him. A fire rages through the building as he shouts to everyone. The fire begins to engulf everyone, and Hiro always wakes up at this part in a sweat.

Hiro is awake and is only wearing a pair of black pajama pants; he is panting as he tries to calm himself down from his dream.

"It's only dream…it's only a dream."

He decides to get up to take a shower to cool off after his nightmare. Not surprising, Isaac has his room on camera. Hiro isn't taking any chances he personally doesn't know it; he makes no mention of the operation to himself and doesn't even plan to talk to any DEM staff.

The next day

Hiro is scheduled to show off to Isaac in data simulation battle against a virtual wizard squad. He intends to send multiple wizard squads with a ranging difficulty setting. The environment is a simulation of Tengu city. A scientist in charge of the simulation informs the Anti Wizard Soldier.

"Okay, Ratatosk, you're first display will be against trainee wizards who have yet to fully join a squad. Use lethal force to terminate the simulations. I have augmented the simulation to appear nearly perfectly real. So you're at risk serious injury. Understand?"

Hiro nods, and the Doctor readies the simulation. Hiro is wearing a short-sleeved full body wire suit with blue shoulders and overall black. He forms the arms and legs of his armor and unsheaths Aorisu to ready for combat. He defeats the first simulation in a matter of seconds by simply dashing past them and swinging his sword across their chests which causes them to burst into data. Most of the scientists are impressed at this feat, but Isaac simply comments.

"Eh, Ellen could do that with eyes closed. Send in the AST squad from twenty years ago."

Hiro turns to face his next opponents, and is shocked to see that his mother is one of the simulations; as well as his coach, Ryouko Kusakabe. Despite this, he readies himself for more.

" _I can't let data interfere with my mission. I have to impress them."_

He easily dispatches the other members of the team and boils it down to Origami and Kusakabe. The two simulations drop their Realizers and pull out their own swords. Hiro assumes a kendo stance and waits for his opponents to move. He stands as the two charge in with their swinging motions ready. He moves out of the way to dodge Origami's attack and moves with afterimages following his fast movements. He swings at Kusakabe, but is intercepted by Origami, who then proceeds to kick him, but he deflects her foot by thrusting his hand to the hilt of his sword and the hilt shoots up and hits Origami in the shin, knocking her back.

He now faces both opponents at opposite sides. They both charge at him again, but this time, he sheaths his weapon and charges it. As the two draw closer, Hiro unsheathes his sword and swings it so fast and with so much force, that the two are unable to block it and it even shatters their own swords and they burst into data. That last fight left Hiro with a few injuries but nothing serious.

Isaac is now impressed with Hiro's capabilities as he lightly applauds the young man's performance. However, he insists on one last challenge. He explains.

"I want to see how far he's willing to go. I'll just have him fight her and see how he reacts."

The program is entered, and Hiro looks at his new opponent in horror.

" _That son of a bitch…"_

He looks as his new opponent is Mana, his beloved deceased aunt. She charges in with her territory set up and Hiro sheathes his sword again. As she is about to make contact, Hiro quickly draws his sword and runs her through with impressive speed. He even grabs the data replica with a free arm and whispers to it.

"I promise that I'll put an end to him…no matter what it takes."

The replica bursts into data and Isaac is having a hearty laugh as he claps faster.

"Hahaha, I can't believe he actually did it, and in less than a minute no less."

Hiro then thinks.

" _People are more than data, Westcott. Your weak fakes can't measure our strength. I'll see to it that you're hanged for what you've done."_

Hiro believes that the data replicas he fought are far weaker than their real counterparts, but he doesn't say anything that might lead to a confrontation, but he can't help but give Isaac a look of killing intent. Isaac simply shrugs and nonchalantly says.

"Well, I pissed him off."

Later that night, Hiro is contemplating to just execute the mission, but he thinks that Westcott might be watching right now and after his earlier expression, he may have heightened some security. Hiro resolves to complete the mission tomorrow. Tomorrow, he is supposed have the day to himself to explore the city and do whatever he wants.

The next day (day of the mission)

Hiro wakes up at about eight in the morning and decides to just spend the day exploring the city he is in and bring back some gifts for his family. He picks up some English flavored lollipops for Kotori, a dress for his mother, a stainless steel pot for his father, and some designer color pencils and pens for his sister. He is trying to relieve the tension of his mission, but nothing is really helping.

Later, he returns to his room and puts his gifts in a suitcase that he has brought to conceal the head container. However, he notices that the lid is slightly opened. He immediately deduces that Isaac is now aware of it. But given that the container was crudely handled, it wasn't him in person, but a wizard he sent to the room.

" _So he's on to me…I've got little choice now. I have to execute the mission now."_

Hiro picks up his briefcase, leaves the room, and sneaks into the facilities with his suit still on. He hides his briefcase in a vent, and makes his way into the laboratories to find a computer with the information he needs. No one is around; which makes Hiro suspicious, but he needs to complete his mission. He has his weapon ready to use at any moment. He manages to find a mainframe with footage and documentation of DEM's experiments and their depraved activities. Hiro manages to get the data on a disk. He is sweating due to the tension he is feeling from the closeness of his success.

"Come on…almost there…"

As Hiro retrieves the disk, a message pops up on the computer screen that reads: **Naughty boys don't get their video games for Christmas.** Hiro puts on a look of disbelief and is stabbed from behind by an unknown assailant which also destroys the disk. He looks behind and sees the current Adeptus 3, Artemisia Bell Ashcroft. She is wearing the same suit as she did years ago, but she is older looking. Hiro ignores the pain of his stab wound to confront the wizard.

( **Quick Disclaimer: I know that in the LNs, Artemisia is Adeptus 2, but in this time, she's already been demoted in favor of Collette.)**

Hiro draws his sword, slashes back, and grazes her stomach. Artemisia backs off and has her own weapon ready. Hiro then equips his arm and leg armor. She tries to put up a territory around Hiro, but he cuts through it before it can do anything. With the smaller area, Hiro has the advantage. They clash swords for a while; normally, Hiro would easily outmatch her in a sword duel, but because of her sneak attack, he is slowed down. They both back off after an exchange of non successful attacks. Hiro holds his wounds and now converses with his opponent.

"You're pretty good. Why would someone like you join with DEM?"

Ashcroft simply answers.

"The greater good."

Hiro now growls under his breath, and asks.

"Have you ever harmed a spirit before?"

Ashcroft then mentions what she has done to Nia in the past, and how she gave Isaac the Qlipha crystal. Hiro now becomes more visibly upset as he lowers his head and angrily says.

"So, it was you who did that? I can't imagine the pain she experienced because of people like you."

Hiro's Mana Eater now begins to glow and his body's mana is showing itself as it is absorbed into the blue sphere on his chest. His armor on his arms and legs begin to grow on his limbs and then they grow around his pelvis and torso. It stops at his neck. His silver armor has attained the next form. He is panting from the amount of mana that was sucked from his body. Artemisia then readies herself for another round, but Hiro moves in with extreme speed that he didn't exhibit before. His eyes have clear killing intent as he appears below her. There aren't any cameras that area, so Isaac can't see anything.

A little later, a few other wizards arrive at the scene with Isaac to inspect the damage or get Ashcroft some backup. By the time they check up on the scene, no one is around. But, there is a trail of blood leading through a different part of the corridors. They follow it, and then they see something that makes the wizards feel sick. Isaac is simply surprised as he looks upon a gruesome sight and casually.

"Wow, I didn't think he had it in him."

What they are looking at is a mutilated body that is beyond recognition. Westcott then orders Ellen to intercept Hiro since he took something with him that could mean trouble.

Elsewhere, Hiro is running through the building with his newfound speed with his suitcase in his free hand. His armor and sword are dripping with Ashcroft's blood. He is in disbelief at what he has just done.

" _I can't ever tell anyone about what I just did. If my dad ever found out…he'd never look at me again."_

He is running and doors begin to close in front of him, but he slides under to avoid being trapped. When wizards come around the corners, Hiro slashes them in various ways which cuts them down with one single precision strike. By the time he makes it the roof, Hiro has cut down over thirty people on his run.

On the roof, Hiro is waiting for his pickup to get him out of the country in a fast way. The mission is almost complete. As he stands waiting, Hiro hears a voice calmly saying.

"I invited you here, and you go trying to steal data, kill my staff, damage my building, take the head of one my employee's, and give me grief."

Hiro turns and sees Isaac with Ellen. He looks as if he is about to lash it in anger, but he simply lowers his head and shakes it with his palm to his forehead. He looks at Hiro and asks.

"So how are you going to make it up to me?"

Hiro readies his sword and answers.

"How about I send to hell so you can join them!"

Isaac rubs his chin and thinks about it sarcastically.

"Hell? Let me think about that…let's see…lake of fire, put of the damned, meeting a few familiar names…But it's a little vacant for my taste."

Hiro then puts down his suitcase, and charges at Isaac with his sword in hand and shouts.

"I'll kill you!"

He readies a slash to end the director's life, but Ellen intercepts it as Isaac simply stands in place. Ellen knocks Hiro away with her territory. Since he didn't see it coming, he couldn't break through it. Ellen then floats in front of her boss as he asks.

"Can handle him, Ellen?"

Ellen calmly responds.

"It'll be fine, Ike, I won't lose to him. I'll get the head back as well."

Hiro retorts, with calm anger.

"I'll cut through your whore, Isaac."

Ellen takes offense and charges in. Hiro and her clash swords as Isaac continues to banter about his previous actions.

"So, how'd you enjoy torturing little Miss Ashcroft? Don't think I didn't notice that you didn't just cut her up. No no no, you used your bare hands as well. Particularly, when you took her precious little head and stuffed it in a jar."

Hiro responds while holding his own with Ellen as the start exchanging blows

"I did what needed to be done!"

"Oh, so pulling off her head with your hands is "what needed to be done"? You couldn't just simply cut it off?"

Hiro then says something he just heard within the hour.

"I did it for the greater good!"

Isaac then begins to laugh as he responds.

"I can't believe you actually said that. Nobody cares about the greater good. It's some misguided form of self-righteousness. Miss Ashcroft said the same thing, and look what happened to her. She got the business end of a sword in spades, and got her head ripped off by an anxiety fueled teen."

Hiro knocks Ellen away and attempts to take another swing at Isaac, but Ellen slices his back before it he can get close. Hiro falls to the ground as it is a deep wound to his spine. Isaac walks up to Hiro, kneels down and taunts him further.

"What good is killing me going to do? Your aunty is gonna stay dead, your sister's legs are gonna stay gone, and your nightmares aren't going to end."

Hiro then manages to barely swing his sword forward and actually land a cut on Isaac's face in the shape of a straight line across his face. Despite being cut, Isaac nonchalantly just wipes his injury and casually complains.

"Now you've ruined my suit by getting blood on it."

Hiro stands up and Ellen takes another swing, but he back flips through the air, she puts up another territory, but he slices through it this time. He then starts up another series of clashes with the world's strongest wizard. Hiro then jumps up and hops off Ellen's sword and jumps for Westcott again, but as he is on his way to take another swing at the director, Hiro's chest begins to throb with pain and he stops in place and gets on his knees. Ellen then walks up to him, kicks to the ground on his stomach. She then runs her sword through her stomach. Isaac walks to continue his insults as Hiro while he bites his lip from the pain.

"You know, boy, those wizards you cut down aren't dead…well not yet."

Hiro retorts through the pain.

"It doesn't matter…I'm on…a mission."

"Really? Does that mission involve killing parents and siblings?"

Hiro's eyes widen and Isaac smirks a little wider as he continues.

"Oh yeah, some of my employees have children, brother, and sisters. Now I'm going to have to tell them that the some nasty solider cut them badly. So bad, that they are currently screaming from the pain, and I'm going to have euthanize them because of how bad it is."

Hiro doesn't respond as he is actually disgusted with his actions because he realizes that when he cut down the other wizards, they didn't die when he passed them. Ellen then begins to stab him repeatedly through the back. She stops after he appears to pass out from the injuries she's inflicted on him. Isaac shakes his head and casually says.

"Well that was fun. I need to get bandages for my face. Ellen, please get Miss Ashcroft's head for me."

Ellen nods, puts her sword away, and floats over to grab the suitcase. As she reaches for it, the sound of a sword echoes through the air as Ellen's palm is cut by Hiro. He rose up and used the speed he used on Artemisia to finish her off. Ellen reaches for her sword again, but Hiro reacts fast and slices off Ellen's arm before she can do anything. Her arm soars off and the sword sticks into the ground of the roof, still holding onto the sword. Ellen lets out a cry of pain; Hiro is sweating from all of the pain he's endured. He picks up the suitcase and receives a signal via is weapon. His ride has arrived to pick him up. He looks at Isaac and threateningly says.

"The next meet face to face, Isaac, is the day I take your head off. But first, I'll ruin your company."

Hiro is teleported aboard the Fraxinus. Kotori, now in her thirties, was asked by Hiro's superiors, who gave him the mission, to pick him up so he can get back to the city safely and with his items. Kotori wasn't told of what he was supposed to bring with him. He received immediate medical attention upon being picked up. His efforts in this mission lead to DEM's downfall as the information extracted from Ashcroft's brain was more than beneficial to proving their guilt. Hiro was so disgusted with his own actions that he gave up using his Katana in favor of assassin style dual blades. His trusted blue sword turned a deep shade of crimson because of the brutality that it caused. Ellen's attacks all left scars on his body that would never fade. Hiro never told anybody about what he did. Operation Dullahan succeeded in the end.

Present Day

Hiro shakes his head and thinks to himself.

" _Am I really a hero? Or am I just some killer? I don't even know…but I feel bad about what I did DEM, and I never will."_

 **Author's Note- This chapter was originally going to be a tiny separate story, but I thought this was a better choice. I may make more chapters that expand the other spirit children's backstories and add more contexts to their personalities.**


	25. Chapter 25

Ch.25 Prelude to the Dark

Aboard the Bifrost, Kotori is learning more of the controls to the ship. Ellen taught her about the weapons, so she isn't at risk of accidently firing any. She is currently looking at the cameras at various directions to get a better handle on the controls. Mana is inspecting the other areas of the ship. She is also making a grocery list since the food is getting lower with the increasing members of their group.

As Kotori looks around the city, she notices the AST making a move; this concerns her a little.

"Oh great, what are they up to?"

Kotori fiddles around with the controls, and discovers that a reading of a Spirit's power was detected moments before the group arrived in this time. The areas where it occurred was the supermarket and the shrine. Kotori looks around the shrine, only sees Hiro and Saori; they arrived in that area about a minute ago. Being years later, the team that is being deployed is different. Kotori isn't worried since Hiro is human, and Saori is more than powerful enough to handle them.

Elsewhere, Shido and Kurumi are taking a winter trip through the aquarium since it has a special arctic exhibit this time of year. It is even showcasing three new species of arctic sea life that was recently discovered. Kurumi stares at a Celestial Blue whale through the glass as it has a calf with it. Kurumi finds it adorable. Shido then reads the note card on it and it says that this whale was discovered a little less than four years ago. Shido then walks up to Kurumi and says.

"It's amazing what kinds of animals exist without us knowing."

Kurumi stands and looks at the whales; she is caught up with a daydream that gets her to blush a little. Shido then notices a stand nearby that is selling hot drinks. He decides to buy himself and Kurumi a hot coffee to warm up from the cold weather.

In another part of the city, Yoshino has invited her newfound friends to her home for tea to thank them for finding her daughter. Ellen and Akane walk close to her in case she experiences anything from being this far into her pregnancy. Ellen asks her what is probably her most frequently asked question.

"So have you thought of a name yet?"

Yoshinon responds first in her usual way.

"I suggested Yoshinon jr., but Miyuki's daddy said no."

Yoshino responds, calmly.

"Yoshinon, we want her to have special name. She's a new member of our family."

Yoshinon turns her head and retorts.

"Well I still stand by my choice."

The group then shares a hearty laugh with each other as they continue to the Itsuka residence.

At the shrine, Hiro and Saori take a break from their walking to enjoy the shrine a little. Hiro went here a lot in his time after the war because it would calm him down a bit. Saori just hates walking around for prolonged periods of time. Hiro takes a minute to draw a fortune, pray, and catch his breath; Saori just sits on a bench and waits for Hiro to finish. She sarcastically asks.

"If you're going to big brother me, then why give me a pair of handcuffs?"

Hiro answers.

"Because then I'd attract too much attention to us. Otherwise, I would."

Saori chuckles a little as she finds it amusing.

"I was wrong about you. You're more fun than I'd originally realized."

Hiro stops the conversation right there; he doesn't want to entertain Saori's psychotic ramblings. As Hiro prepares to leave with Saori, someone says.

"Hold it!"

Hiro looks towards the stairs leading to the shrine, and sees Aki below. He walks up the stairs and calmly says.

"I've got something to say to you."

At the Itsuka residence, Yoshino unlocks the door leading into her home she politely tells everyone.

"My husband is on a business trip until tomorrow, and we have a housekeeper who cooks and cleans for us until I have my baby."

Upon entering the home, Yoshino announces.

"Tohka, we're home, and we have guests."

Tohka, who is now coming through the room with a vacuum, says.

"Okay, I'm just finishing the cleaning.

Akane snickers a little as she thinks.

" _Another Tohka that works for the family, go figure."_

But to her, and everyone's surprise, this Tohka is much younger looking; Akane and Ellen instantly realize that this is the Tohka that Shido has been looking for. Akane and Ellen instantly go for their communicators and contact the ship. Luckily, Yoshino and Miyuki move towards the kitchen in a hurry to get the tea ready. Shiori doesn't recognize this because her Tohka barely looks any older than this one, so she thinks it is normal.

Back at the shrine, Aki is standing straight across from Hiro, and Saori is standing away as she watches them. Aki then bluntly asks.

"How many people did you kill in that last fight?"

Hiro simply responds.

"One, and that is all."

Aki clenches his fist despite already knowing the answer, and asks.

"Why did you kill her?"

"I have no reason to answer you. I also don't need another lecture."

Hiro tries to walk away, but Aki grabs his shoulder as he demands.

"Why did you kill her!?"

Hiro shoots Aki a cold look and grabs his hand to take it off his shoulder. Saori laughs in her head as she fantasizes in her head what this would be like if their mother's where in this situation. Aki then uses his other arm to forcibly turn Hiro around. Aki, now angered, says.

"I'm not letting you kill more people, Hiro."

Hiro coldly retorts.

"Then there shouldn't be any problems, because haven't killed any "people" on this venture."

Kotori is listening to their argument through Hiro's communicator as she says.

"Okay, boys, break it up."

Hiro then yells into communicator.

"Stay out of this!"

He then puts his attention back to Aki as he says.

"It's clear you don't know how DEM fights. I do; so I think it's in our best interest that you back down."

Aki's body begins to emit the aura again, and Hiro gets a little nervous from it. Saori sees it, and thinks.

" _Oh, he's already gone that far. Shinra is going to be very happy about that."_

Aki then pulls out his sword and assumes his partial spirit form, which with his new outfit, causes his vest to turn to the colors of spirit form with a slight glow, his jacket grows longer to simulate his cape, and his shoes turn into his greaves. He jumps back and responds.

"I'll show you how I fight, murderer."

Hiro pulls out his dual blades and doesn't equip any of his armor. He then gives Aki a warning.

"Stand aside; I'd rather not fight an ally."

Aki doesn't answer, he just runs in to attack. Hiro dashes past him and lightly cuts his face. Aki responds by launching a Rending Edge at him, but he back flips out of the way. Hiro falls in front of Aki and kicks him in the chest which knocks him off of his feet. The dodged Rending Edge cuts down a statue. Hiro notices this, and says.

"Aki, we'll cause more damage to the shrine if we keep this up, so I say we stop."

Aki ignores Hiro and continues to swing his sword at the soldier, but Hiro dodges every swing with relative ease. The AST members that Kotori saw are almost at the shrine. Saori notices this and thinks.

" _Hmm, I should show these two how a pro does it."_

Saori enters her spirit form and equips her swords while the boys are still having their squabble. She intends to show the two boys her definition of fun. At this point, Hiro puts away his blades and fight Aki with his bare hands. Hiro dodges and punches in tandem. Eventually, Aki runs out of energy from his swinging and being punched so much. Hiro then finishes it with single strong punch to Aki's face and knocks him to ground with a bloody lip. Hiro says to his ally.

"Aki…I don't think you an enemy. Rather…forget it."

Aki picks himself up as his power dissipates, and his sword warps away. Hiro walks away from the shrine and a little ways down the streets, but he stops as soon as he hears fire from weapons coming from the shrine. He runs back up the stairs to check on what is happening.

Upon reaching the shrine again, Hiro sees six wizards cowering in fear as Saori is holding onto the squad's captain. Their Realizers and weapons are ripped into scrap metal. Aki is knocked out from an unknown cause. Saori then taps her forehead as she looks at the falling snow; she then says.

"Raining snow is pretty, but boring."

Saori closes her eyes as she think. Then she smiles sadistically as she then says.

"I have a better idea."

Hey eyes shoot open as she then says, sadistically.

"How about I make it rain blood instead?"

The captain shows no fear, but is visibly shaken. The others are just plain afraid. Even Hiro is flabbergast at this.

" _She beat all of them in the time it took me to run back here!?"_

Back to Shido and Kurumi, Shido has purchased a small kitten plushie in winter clothes for Kurumi as a gift. She appreciates it, but is still not showing signs of letting Shido seal her powers yet. Shido asks her.

"Are you having fun at all?"

Kurumi puts a content smile as she answers.

"Yes, I'm having fun, believe it or not."

Shido then pats her head as he is happy that she's happy.

"Good; I'm glad you said yes to go on a date with me. It's been a long while since we've actually gone on a date."

Kurumi then asks Shido a question that she really doesn't care about the answer to, but just feels like it.

"Where did you get the money to pay for this date?"

Normally, Shido would get help from Ratatoskr, but this time, he got money from Ellen. She gave him money to take Kurumi on date since she knows that he is still trying to seal her (Kurumi's) powers. But she isn't showing any signs of letting Shido do that yet.

Aboard the ship, Kotori is seeing the carnage at the shrine with disgust. She needs to tell Shido about Tohka, but she thinks that Kurumi is needed at the shrine. However, she can't let Shido go to the shrine because he shouldn't see what is going on. If she contacts Ellen or Akane, then the others would want to join in. Hiro and Kurumi are among the only members of their group who could stomach what is going to happen, and stand up to Saori's power. Mana can't beat Kurumi, so she thinks that it isn't a good idea to send her.

Back to the shrine, Saori lets the captain go, and the captain jumps back and produces a new sword. She then confidently says.

"If you think you can kill us. Then just try it!"

Saori smiles wider and reaches into a shadow to pull something out. Hiro is tempted to help the wizards since he is part of the AST, but Saori's killing intent is keeping him from moving. He wonders with fear.

" _What's she pulling out? It can be good."_

Saori begins to pull out an object, which turns out to be a simply white umbrella. The wizard continues her charge and Saori extends her hand which causes her shadows to rush towards the wizard. They erupt from the ground and completely engulf the captain's body.

The captain's body is completely covered by the shadow as she is flailing around from inside. The other wizards are watching in horror as Saori then has the shadow float higher in the air. She then opens her umbrella and holds it to cover herself. Kotori, who is watching from the ship, says.

"Oh, she isn't really…"

Saori smirks as she snaps her fingers on her free hand, and the dark sphere then suddenly bursts and a crimson rain falls upon the once beautiful snowy shrine. The other wizards are beyond horrified, and even Hiro is repulsed by what just happened. Everyone except Saori gets covered by the crimson, much to their horror. Saori lifts her stained umbrella with a large smirk as she utters.

"Wow, that was satisfying than I thought it would be."

The rain doesn't last long which makes Saori put on a slight frown. The other wizards stand up with horrified expressions on their faces. One of them even begs.

"We'll withdraw, and never bother you again."

Another begs.

"Yes, please don't kill us!"

Saori throws her umbrella into the air and then says, with cold eyes.

"Ah, I was only beginning to like it. Oh well, (face turns very sadistic) I have more sources to start it again."

Kotori turns off the monitor because she can't stomach another show again.

The screaming coming from the wizards alone is enough to make anyone horrified. Saori has her shadows envelop each of them at once. Saori then begins to hum a song to herself as she begins repeating her previous actions.

(For copyright reasons, I can't use the lyrics for the song I chose for her to sing, but it's supposed to be _Singing in the Rain_ )

Saori even starts dancing as she continues to make it rain.

Kotori decides to not waste any more time, and contacts her brother. Shido is still with Kurumi, and immediately, Kotori asks to speak with Kurumi. Shido is confused and asks out of concern.

"Is there something wrong, Kotori?"

Kotori tries to stay calm and insists it is just because she has question for Kurumi. Shido hands over his communicator and Kotori tell Kurumi what is going on.

"Kurumi, I need you to do something."

Kurumi playfully responds.

"So, the flame girl needs my help."

Kotori continues to be serious.

"We don't have time for antics. Saori went feral, and Hiro is the only one in the area who can fight her. I need you go and help him, quick. They're at the shrine. Please, don't tell Shido about it. She's really gone overboard this time. Also, I've got something to tell Shido."

Kurumi gives back the communicator, and Kotori tells Shido about Tohka. He is excited and loudly shouts.

"Really!?"

Kotori says that Ellen and Akane confirmed it. Shido, more excited, rushes to the Itsuka residence since Kotori has given him the directions. Kurumi lies, and says that she has a job to do on the ship; which Shido doesn't question it. He goes his way, and Kurumi goes to the shrine.

To the shrine, Hiro has his dual blades ready and has a very upset look on his face. His clothes are stained with red as Saori looks at him with a slight smile. She asks.

"Why are you so upset? All I did was kill some enemies."

Hiro doesn't answer as he is too angry to say anything. Kurumi arrives mere moments later. She is a little worried upon seeing the sight. Hiro explains to her about what has just happened. Saori shrugs and tells Hiro.

"If it makes you less pissed, I crushed them so fast that they didn't really feel any pain. I wanted to make it rain, so I did."

Hiro finally responds through his anger.

"They were AST…I know they could have change."

Saori then starts laughing as she finds his response funny.

"AST makes it different? *Laughing* they came here to kill a Spirit. I thought you hated people like that. You must be big hypocrite to think like that."

Aki begins to rise up from the ground; Saori looks at him and playfully says.

"Well, this just turned more interesting."

Aki summons Azael, and his clothes begin to change into his spirit form again, but this time, his jacket begins to tear at the bottom, spiked gauntlets cover his hands and forearms, his vest turns into a thin sheet of armor with a red crack-like design, and his greaves have jagged, beast-like, toes with the same crack-design as his vest. His overall clothes turn a very dark shade of purple and almost appear black. He assumes his over the shoulder stance. Aki turns his attention to Hiro and utters.

"You…why did assault my child?"

The voice that came out wasn't just Aki's, sounded like a female voice mixed in with his. Saori rubs her chin and says.

"Wow, I've never seen a partial inversion before."

Kurumi, now ready to say her opinion, asks Hiro.

"I think we may need help."

Hiro equips his arm and leg armor and says.

"I think we can handle her. It's Aki that worries me."

Kurumi can sense something different with Saori since the last time they've fought, and it worries her.

Back at Itsuka Residence, Yoshino and Ellen are talking about mother stuff. Akane is checking with Tohka and informs her about their journey. Shiori is making a snow angel outside the house. She does this in order to prepare her for Shido coming to see her; to which she shouts.

"My Shido is here in this city!?"

Tohka's powers start to back to her since Shido is in the same dimension as her now. This causes the house to shake a little. Miyuki, who is coloring in her room, hides under her bed because of the sudden shaking. Miyuki is easily startled by many things, and Yoshinon always tells her something encouraging to help her with her confidence. This time, Yoshinon says.

"Hey, big sisters are supposed to be braver than this!"

Miyuki, timidly, responds.

"But, Yoshinon, I don't like it when the ground shakes."

Miyuki starts crying again, and a light engulfs her room. A little later, Shido finally arrives at the house and is out of breath since he ran all the way. Because of his anxiety, he immediately opens the door, Tohka, expecting him, runs to the doorway. Their eyes meet and everything just seems to slow down. Tohka starts crying tears of joy and Shido smiles warmly. She runs over to him and immediately hugs him. She holds him tightly as she says.

"I missed so much, I was afraid I'd never see you again."

Tohka has actually been stuck in this time for about two months; whereas Shido has only gone through this journey for a little over a week. They spend a few minutes just comforting each other. Akane and Ellen decide to leave them alone. Yoshino is actually somewhat aware of the situation. She explains to Ellen, upon seeing Tohka and Shido that Tohka showed up about two months ago. She was shopping, when she found Tohka begging for food on the street. She (Tohka) couldn't access her powers, was scared, and didn't have any money. Yoshino thought that something was up, and brought her home to give her some food and a home. Tohka wasn't very happy to see Shido married to Yoshino, but didn't exhibit any signs of jealousy around them out of gratitude for taking her in during her time of need. This world's Shido was very understood about it; despite no one really understanding the situation, life just went forward for them.

Tohka then backs off a little and asks.

"Have you been looking for me this whole time?"

Shido quickly admits.

"Yeah, I have. I also had to find Kotori too. Mana also got lost, and we still have to find Origami."

Tohka then feels a little jealous that Shido hasn't been thinking about her exclusively, but empathizes with the other girls plights. Shido even goes on to explain that by everything that happened, Tohka had it easy. Mana was attacked by Hiro and arrested, Kotori was taken prisoner by DEM, and Origami may be in just as much trouble.

Tohka then requests.

"Shido, I haven't seen you in so long…so can we just spend the day together?"

Shido rubs Tohka's head and warmly answers.

"Sure."

Then it hits Shido.

"Oh, that reminds me, Tohka. I met someone who I think you'd love to meet."

Tohka becomes curious, and Shido talks about Aki. He feels that since Tohka has spent the last two months watching this world's Shido and Yoshino share such joy in having a second baby, that Tohka deserves to know that he has met a Tohka who has married him (in her world) and has two children with her husband. Tohka becomes enthralled at this reveal.

"We have two children!?"

Shido has to quickly remind Tohka that is one of the realities he has been to, but assures her it is a possibility. Tohka has a sparkle in her eye, and Shido thinks that he should contact Kotori to find Aki so Tohka can meet him.

Kotori, looking at the monitors, is getting anxious. She's afraid to send anyone else to the shrine. She's even afraid of confronting Aki and Saori at the same time. She doesn't respond to Shido talking to her from his communicator. She's contemplating her next move. However, things take a very bad turn when another Spirit's energy shows up on the radar. It's at the shrine again, and Kotori sees something she wishes isn't there.

"Oh this is just freaking perfect!"

At the shrine, Miyuki has appeared suddenly. She is upset, but luckily is still in her snow clothes. She walks through the shrine, confused, and asks Yoshinon.

"Yoshinon, are the painting the shrine or something?"

Yoshinon covers her face with her little paws and responds.

"I don't know about that, but it sure smells stinky."

Miyuki covers her nose with her right hand, as she is not aware that she is at what anybody else would consider a horrifying site. This worst part is, the fighting has yet to begin.


	26. Chapter 26

Ch. 26 Snow Storm

The battle at the shrine has already begun. Hiro and Aki are squaring off while Kurumi and Saori are clashing gun to sword. The two ladies are clashing against each other without anyone taking the advantage. The two boys, on the other hand, is not as on even grounds as the ladies. Aki has taken control of this fight quickly.

Aboard the Bifrost, Kotori is biting her nail while trying to figure something out. She'd go herself, but she can't risk losing control since she has noticed Miyuki's presence at the shrine. At this point, Kotori wishes she had her crew with her since they could, at least, give her an idea of what to do. She can checks on the feed coming from the communicators that Shido, Ellen, and Akane are wearing to find out what they're up to. Shido actually tries to contact the ship.

"Hey, Kotori, Tohka really wants to meet Aki. So can you tell us where he is?"

Kotori doesn't want to lie to Shido, but at the same time, she can't let him get near the shrine. So in a desperate thought, she mindlessly blurts out.

"Uh… Somebody set up us the bomb!"

She then presses the mute button. Shido shrugs it off and simply says.

"I guess she's playing Zero Wing. I didn't think she was interested."

Kotori has a look of disbelief as she says to herself, also with disbelief.

"I can't believe that I just blurted that out."

Kotori then comes to the conclusion that the only person she can send is Akane. Ellen's injured, Tohka wouldn't be thrilled to see her potential son in a bad state, Shiori has almost no idea about her powers, and Mana couldn't be trusted to assist Kurumi and beat Saori. She'd rather not endanger her daughter, but with limited options, there's not much choice. She is hesitant, but sucks it up and calls her on her communicator. As she explains to Akane about the situation, Akane has something more to add.

"Well, that just adds to another problem."

Kotori face palms and asks.

"What do you mean "another problem"?"

Akane explains.

"Well, after Tohka and Shido left, Yoshino went to check on Miyuki, saw she that she is missing, and the added stress caused her to go into labor."

Kotori is shocked and yells out.

"What the holy crap!"

Akane also explains that Ellen and she are helping her with the delivery since it is too frosty out to get her to a hospital. Kotori quickly comes up with a compromise.

"Okay, I'll come down to help Yoshino with her delivery, Mana will monitor the ship, and you go to the shrine."

Akane agrees and tells Ellen the plan. Despite only using one arm, Ellen is showing some good dexterity with her helping. She's already gathered the necessary items, fresh sheets and hot water, and is sitting next to Yoshino in the living room. Yoshino is lying on the couch, doing her Lamaze. Shiori is doing everything she can to help.

Kotori decides to call Shido again and tell him about the situation in the hopes of keeping him away from the shrine in any way. Naturally, Shido can't Ellen and Yoshino alone, so he agrees to go back. Tohka is adamant due to her excitement to meet her potential son, but Shido gently explains to her.

"Tohka, we can meet Aki later. But right now Yoshino is almost alone in that house pushing out a new life. Plus….I kinda want to be there when that happens."

Tohka can tell that this is what Shido wants, so she responds.

"Fine, but you owe me a date."

Shido pats Tohka's head and agrees.

Back at the shrine, Miyuki is wandering the shrine, ignorant to the violence since it has escalated to the sky. She is frightened from being separated from her mother again but tries to stay calm. She is starting to get dizzy from the smell.

"Yoshinon, this place smells like daddy's ¥ 10 coins."

Yoshinon and Miyuki look at each other as the puppet responds.

"Maybe somebody dropped a lot of money around here. We should pick it up and buy some candy!"

Miyuki then wags her finger at Yoshinon and rebukes in a scolding manner.

"No no no, remember, Yoshinon, that money wouldn't be ours. We'll give it back to the person who lost it."

As Miyuki wanders the shrine more, she trips and falls down on the brick walkway, which is still stained crimson. Miyuki picks herself up and realizes that she has cut the palm of her hand. She looks at her palm and sees that it is slightly bleeding. Miyuki starts to tear up from the pain, but then she looks at her hand and compares it to the ground.

"Yoshinon…I think….."

Miyuki young mind begins to glow blank for a few a seconds as she continually stares at the ground; to make things worse for her, Miyuki has hemophobia, so this is possibly the worst place in the world for her to be at. Due to the outrageous amount of blood present, Miyuki just legitimately thought it was paint coating the area.

Akane sprints to the shrine and enters her spirit form since time is of the essence. Once Akane has reached the shrine area, she is taken by surprise as the shrine has been coated in a sheet of ice. Not wanting to back away, Akane continues towards the frozen shrine and melts the ice that she steps on.

In the skies, the two fights haven't made much progress. Kurumi is attempting to shoot Saori with her two guns, but Saori keeps countering by having one her puppets shoot at the same angle and completely block any shots. Saori then berates her opponent as she relishes her advantage.

"Ufufufu, don't you get it, Kurumi, you can't even touch me."

Kurumi smiles through her disadvantage and continues to press on. She then rushes up to Saori and they start clashing again. The two girls are equal like this, so Saori backs off and says.

"You know what? This is getting boring. I can't kill you, but I can test out my newest toy."

Kurumi attempts to keep up the struggle going, but Saori disappears into one of her dark portals. She(Saori) reappears a bit further away and announces.

"Come, Throne!"

Saori's guardian, Throne, appears behind her, and she immediately gives her an order.

"Throne, I want you to use our newest acquisition to give us a show."

The guardian appears uneasy and hesitates, Saori then gives her an annoyed look and states.

"Did I stutter!? I said do it!"

The guardian then nods, and Kurumi noticed the hesitation and thinks.

"Does that guardian have a mind of its own?"

The guardian opens her palm and sends five threads from her fingers into another portal and begins to pull something out. Kurumi prepares for an onslaught of more dead versions of herself, but she isn't prepared for what is about to happen next. Saori announces.

"For my next dance, I'll show you…The Rondo of The Second Witch."

Throne then produces the lifeless body of Artemisia Bell Ashcroft, the one that Saori killed in the previous world. Her eyes are devoid of any life, but she is moving like a puppet. Kurumi readies herself for a new challenge and utters.

"Well, aren't we always coming up with new surprises? I guess it would be boring if didn't though, Saori."

Saori smirks and quietly announces.

"It's Showtime!"

Hiro and Aki's fight is getting closer to the finish. Hiro is severely holding back to avoid hurting his ally; it also doesn't help that Aki is Tohka's son. Hiro is panting from his injuries as he tries to think of a way to Aki to snap out of his trance. He's only partially inversed, so Hiro is concentrating on this endeavor. He escalates the fight back to the ground. The two boys are now standing opposite of each other and are ready to go at again.

Aki and Hiro come at each other with different intent. This time, Hiro is the one who wants to do the saving, and Aki is the one with killing intent. The two boys clash blades and press on to gain the advantage, but nobody manages to win the struggle. Due to holding back, Hiro has only equipped his arm and leg armor. He uses his speed to get behind Aki in the hopes of stunning him with a quick jab to the back, but as Hiro's blade makes contact, Aki seemingly warps out of the way. His body fades into the air. Hiro is shocked at this technique as Aki appears above him and attacks with a downward slash that successfully hits Hiro and slashes through his shirt. The wound that is inflicted isn't very bad, but Hiro is now feeling the effects of the weather. His wounds aren't helping either. He is starting to become dizzy and distracted from his body's temperature dropping.

Back at the shrine, Akane has reached the shrine itself and to her shock, she sees Miyuki encased in a sphere of ice near the fortune stand and her eyes are closed and has a plain look. Miyuki is also wearing a new outfit that is almost identical to Yoshino's astral dress, but ears on the hood have holes in them, and the overall color of the dress is pink. Yoshinon is still on her left hand. Akane, completely worried for her, runs over to break her out of the ice. Akane gets to the sphere and starts using her flames to the melt the ice with as much gentleness as possible to avoid hurting the young child. But unknown to her, Miyuki's expression becomes one of terror, and from behind Akane, a sharp tail-like object begins to form from the surrounding ice.

At the Itsuka residence, Yoshino is still in labor as everyone stands at her side. Kotori complains by saying.

"You know, her Shido should be here for her. Even in this time, he's useless."

Ellen looks at Kotori with scolding eyes as she rebukes.

"Kotori, that isn't fair to anyone. Her husband works hard to provide for his family."

Kotori scratches her head as she apologizes.

"Yeah, I'm sorry. I guess I'm just a little tense right now."

Shido then gently walks over to the expecting mother, holds her hand, and assures her.

"You're not alone right now, Yoshino. None of us are leaving."

Yoshino manages to smile through her pain as she knows that she is in the comfort of people she knows she can trust beyond any doubt.


	27. Chapter 27

Ch. 27 The Joy Amongst the Cold Pt.1

In the prime timeline, Shinra is wandering through the halls of DEM headquarters. He is contemplating his next move in his master plan.

" _Hmm, Neither Geri, Freki, or Kokoro have found Origami yet. I know this isn't easy for Freki, but I have faith in her self-control."_

Shinra then bumps into a young female wizard who appears to be in her early twenties. She quickly apologizes in a bashful manner as she appears to have a crush on him.

"Oh, I'm very sorry, Mr. Shinra, I didn't see where I was going."

Shinra smirks a little as he thinks to himself.

" _I guess I'll try Isaac's way for once."_

He then invites the young lady to accompany him on a date, to which she happily agrees.

In Yoshino timeline, Mana has taken the helm of the Bifrost. She is now aware of the action going on at the shrine, and the situation at the Itsuka residence. She also realizes that Kotori purposely kept this from her. She is irritated at this, but is more concerned with Hiro and Akane at the shrine.

Akane is still in the middle of trying to thaw Miyuki out of the ice sphere. As she concentrates, she feels a sharp pain surge through her chest. She looks down and sees a sharp object pierced through her chest. She then immediately shoots a fireball to sever it from her back. She then pushes the point out through her back, and utters through the pain.

"*Groan* that didn't feel good."

Her injury heals automatically as she notices more sharp objects forming from the ice around the area, and says, surprised,

"This is not good."

Kurumi and Saori's fight is nearly at its climax. Kurumi is covered in scratches and she can't use her angel, Zafkiel, because when she attempts to enchant a bullet, Saori simply has another Kurumi shoot her opponents hand and knock her guns out of her hands. Also, with the corpse of Ashcroft at her demand, Saori has dominion over her abilities. Saori doesn't have s ingle scratch, and has Kurumi held down by her reanimated past. She is out of stamina from constantly fighting back; all she can do is listening to the cackling of Saori's puppets. Saori neatly lands on the ground next to the shrine's stairs. She then snaps her fingers to summon her newest puppet. Ashcroft's lifeless body neatly hovers next to her new master as Saori looks at Kurumi as she compliments herself.

"Beautiful, isn't it."

Saori snaps her fingers again, but this time the corpse bends gets on all fours, and Saori sits on her like a chair. She puts on a thinking look for a second, and then says, sarcastically.

"You know, I don't get why anybody would ever enjoy this. There's no lumbar support, and frankly, my ass isn't feeling any less stress."

She then smiles a bit bigger as she then adds.

"But the thought of doing whatever the hell I feel like with the stupid bitch's carcass makes it worth it."

Kurumi smiles and tries to maintain her demeanor despite knowing she is beaten.

"So, what's the plan, Saori? Are you going to devour me and take my powers for yourself?"

Saori smirks a little as she wags her finger at her other-world mother.

"That's too easy. No, more like…not fun enough. I'm the kind of girl who prefers savoring her plans. My real intention…well, I'll level with you since I know you can't stop me. I intend to breed you."

Kurumi looks irritated as she tries to get up. She then retorts.

"I'm not an animal in case you didn't notice."

Saori puts on a fake genuine smile as she explains.

"Oh, I'm very aware. But I guess I should save the juicer bits for the right time comes. I've had my fill of fun for the day anyway."

Kurumi chuckles a little as she rebukes.

"Fun? I seriously doubt you could have had as much as you claim, Saori."

Saori wags her finger again she crosses her legs.

"Tsk tsk, I think haven't noticed certain things yet. Think about it, Kurumi, a pissed of Akihiko suddenly comes to a shrine and partially inverses from an "unknown cause", a hemophobic spirit child comes to a shrine coated in blood, and I have three of the punks, who made a fool out of me, right where I want them."

Saori then orders her puppets to let Kurumi up, with her hands held back, to see other battles. Upon seeing the destruction, Kurumi smiles a bit more as she actually compliments her other-world daughter.

"Wow, so you've had all this planned out, didn't you?"

Saori's face suddenly shifts from happy to irritated. She stands up off of her makeshift seat and summons her swords. She points her longer sword at Kurumi's face and she demands.

"Stop smiling. It irks me when my prey smiles at plans."

Knowing she's struck a chord, Kurumi now starts to have her own fun.

"Oh, did I hit a soft spot? I'm very sorry, Saori, it's just so funny."

Saori walks up to Kurumi and picks her up by the throat.

"Don't-you-mock me!"

Despite being chocked, Kurumi continues to smile as she then explains.

"If I'm part of your plan…then...don't you need me…I don't know…not dead."

Saori lets her go, and then says, with her eyes wide open.

"You know, you really don't need both eyes for my plans."

Saori now orders one of her puppets to hold Kurumi's clock eye open. This is what gets Kurumi to stop smiling as she is now trying to struggle to get out. Saori then readies to swing her sword and smiles as she does.

As she swings down, Kurumi and her (Saori's) puppets are knocked aside by someone. Too late to stop her swing, Saori now hits a new target, Hiro. She slashes his face vertically and even manages to hit his left eye. Hiro immediately falls over once he has been hit. Saori is annoyed as she insults Hiro with anger in her tone.

"You annoying piece of crap. You just have to get in the way of anybody who involves any spirits."

Hiro, barely conscious at this point, manages to retort.

"At least…I have…my principals."

Saori prepares another swing to finish off the soldier, when suddenly; she is hit in the face by an unknown force which sends her flying through a nearby building. Saori emerges from the hole she created upon impact and does not look happy. She sees Akane standing across the way, cracking her knuckles without her sword on hand. Saori's face is burning a little as there is steam coming off of her face where she got hit. Saori growls under her breath as she threateningly says.

"You're going to regret doing that, you little bitch!"

Akane angrily retorts.

"You just stole my line, only I was gonna call you a psychotic bitch."

Aboard the Bifrost, Mana is watching the new action as she says.

"Get her, Akane."

Mana had heard what Saori had said from the video feed, so she informed Akane of what she had heard. Akane just left Miyuki alone because she really isn't in any danger.

Akane angrily walks to Saori and says.

"So, you're the reason that little girl's powers woke up so suddenly! What did you do to Aki!?"

Akane's flames turn from blue to red and she summons her guardian. Only this time, her guardian is using a new power emerging from Akane's anger. Her guardian produces a smaller version of Kotori's Camael. She doesn't hand it to Akane, but rather, she uses it to manipulate the flames coming from around her. Whenever Saori sends any of her puppets at Akane, the guardian uses the flames to incinerate them. Akane looks at her guardian with a smile and compliments her.

"Wow, you're always finding new ways to be cooler."

Her guardian winks at her and Akane gathers flames into her fists as she runs up to Saori, who tries to warp away with her shadows. Before she can, Akane gets too close and immediately unleashes a flurry of punches and announces.

"Phoenix Dance: Blaze Bloom!"

Saori can't do much of anything without her puppets as she takes the barrage as her face is constantly assaulted by Akane's fists.

Back at the shrine entrance, Kurumi is looking at Hiro's injuries. His face is bleeding, is legs are covered in thick bruises, and he is starting to get a fever. Despite feeling grateful, Kurumi insults Hiro by saying.

"That was really stupid of you."

Hiro simply asks.

"You're not hurt, are you?"

Kurumi sighs and replies.

"How dumb are you? Guess I know where you got your intelligence from."

Hiro chuckles a little before finally passing out. Kurumi looks at the ground and sees the skid marks from Hiro's sudden run.

" _I can't believe he ran that fast. He's just as stubborn as Shido."_

Mana, aboard the ship, sees the situation. She notices that Aki can't find Hiro at the moment. Knowing that this is a safe moment, Mana decides to hover the ship over the shrine and picks up Hiro and Kurumi since Hiro needs medical attention.

Akane is now alone at the shrine with a partially inverted Aki, a recently awakened Miyuki, and Saori. Akane has a plan to do this, but it is going to be difficult. Akane finishes her assault on Saori and knocks her further through the building and out the other end.

At the residence, Yoshino is still in labor, and the group with her is doing their best to make it as comfortable as possible for her. Shido, in particular, is taking the charge. He has the others sitting down while he holds the adult Yoshino's hand. Yoshino smiles through the pain as she explains to Shido.

"You know, my husband held my just like this while I gave birth to Miyuki."

Shido now imagines what kind of feelings that his self in this world felt. While he can't fully understand it, he has a good idea of what that Shido felt. He intends to see Yoshino through this as really wants to get an idea of what his other selves felt when they became fathers.

 **Author's Note- I cut this chapter short because due to a medical problem I was dealing with last week. I'd rather cut the chapter short and make it a two parter rather than just posting part of it and updating it like before. Part 2 will be up sooner than Part 1 since I am feeling much better.**


	28. Chapter 28

CH.28 Wavering Thoughts

Saori is struggling to stand up after Akane's barrage of punches. Her face is covered in burn marks and she has a bloody lip. Akane is standing a right above her and demands.

"Get your ass up! I'm not through with you for a damn second!"

Saori grits her teeth as she angrily thinks.

"I can't be losing to her…I can trounce my mother, but I can't even dodge this weakling's attacks."

Akane then adds.

"I can't believe that Shido would even want to trust you. You don't even have a single iota of compassion."

Saori finally stands up and responds, with an oddly defensive tone.

"What do you even know about me!?"

Eight Months Ago

Saori had awakened her powers after a traumatic experience when two people claiming to be her friends attempted to blackmail her with forged photos of her in explicit situations. She was also having difficulties with a male teacher at her school who would not take a hint. Once Saori had a grasp on her powers, she took her revenge on all three of them. With how she planned it, the police ruled it as a double murder and a suicide.

She hasn't told anybody about the incident and doesn't plan to. At the moment, she is walking around the city and is on her way home from school. The school held a service today, and Saori could only laugh in mind about her getting away with it. She is walking towards her home in the suburb area when she receives a call on her cell phone. She looks at the ID, and it's is her father.

"Hello, what's up, dad?"

Her father talks to her in a friendly tone.

"Hey, Saori, I can see you from here. Look up at the building to your left."

Saori looks around and sees her father in a nearby building waving to her. She waves back and asks.

"Did you just want to say hi?"

Shido then sounds a little more down as he continues.

"I actually want to talk to you about something. I'm in a restaurant, so I'll buy you anything you want if you're hungry."

Saori agrees since she didn't eat a very big lunch today. Her mother has been busy with the newest addition to their family, a baby brother, to really have time to make five lunches. Saori meets her father inside a café on inside the building and orders a chocolate parfait. Shido is a bit taller and is wearing a simple black suit with a red tie. Saori and her father casually talk about various things and laugh a little together. Then, Shido gets to his troubles.

"Saori, I want your opinion on something."

Saori then puts on a fake surprised look and thinks.

 _"Oh, is my precious daddy going to hit on me too?"_

Shido then bites his lip a little as he explains.

"At my workplace, there's this new voice director down there, and I think she's hitting on me."

Now Saori is getting distrustful.

 _"Oh,…he's considering having an affair. You'd think with six kids, that he isn't physically starved."_

She then, in a wondering tone, asks.

"And you don't want me to tell mother about it?"

Shido then shakes his head as he answers very straight.

"No no no, I'm very much telling your mother about it. I won't keep secrets from her. Secrets lead to mistrust, and I love her too much to lose her trust because of something like this."

Saori is genuinely surprised by this response because she really believes him. She then asks.

"Then why'd you invite me up here and asked me about it?"

Shido then answers.

"It happened today, and I just needed to tell someone to get it off my chest. Believe me; I'm not going to cheat on your mother, ever."

Later that night

Saori, a little skeptical, listens to her parents by opening a small gateway of shadow underneath her parent's bed as Shido and Kurumi talk before they go to bed. Shido is taking a deep breath while Kurumi sits on his lap with her arms around his neck as she is being flirty with him. He then explains to her about the new woman at his office. She responds by asking in a sultry way.

"Oh, is she prettier than me, Shido?"

Shido firmly denies it as he compliments his wife's very apparent beauty.

"No way! Kurumi, you still look as incredible as the day I met you. I think the six kids we have is proof enough that I still find you very attractive."

Kurumi then snickers a little as Shido then starts looking closer at Kurumi's features through her nightshirt and gulps a little. Kurumi then blushes herself and says.

"Well, I wasn't expecting such compliments and gazes tonight, my love."

Saori, now content, leaves her parents alone; plus if she stayed, she probably wouldn't look at them in the same way ever again.

Next day, in the evening

Saori is back at the café, but this time, she is eating a strawberry sundae. As she eats, she thinks to herself.

 _"Why did I ever doubt my daddy? I love him so much, and I love my mom just the same as him. He's more honest than any other humans I know."_

As Saori eats her treat, she hears two gentlemen speaking behind her from the neighboring table. One of them says.

"Today, that new intern was hitting on me."

The other man responds.

"You mean that girl with the dyed hair?"

Saori takes an interest in their conversation as she listens to the first man talk about a similar situation. But the man is clearly interested in having an affair, and even brags about being able to have his with two women. He even claims to not care about the ramifications his own children would experience.

"If she divorces me, she isn't getting any money, so the courts will give me full custody anyway."

Saori grips her spoon tightly as she growls under her breath.

 _"Nothing like my dad. This guy doesn't deserve what he has. I think what he needs right now, is a healthy dose of fear to cool off._ "

Saori gets a good look at the man's face before she leaves the café. She then smirks a little as she thinks of things for tonight.

Later

Saori is eating dinner with her family. Her older identical siblings, Reiji and Asami, her younger sisters, Miki and Emi, and her baby brother, Koji, are eating a meal prepared by Kurumi. They are eating a simple dinner of curry and rice with salad. Saori enjoys her mother's cooking, but she prefers her father's cooking since he is the better cook. Since Koji is still nursing, Kurumi has to wait to eat; Shido prefers to wait for her to finish. Asami and Reiji finish before the others because they have plans for the night, koji falls asleep as soon he gets full, Miki and Emi both immediately go do their homework. Shido finishes before Kurumi, so he goes to take a bath first so he can get ready for bed. This leaves Saori, who is on her third portion, alone at the table with her mother. Saori doesn't know much about her mother's past, so she asks.

"Mom, have you ever lied to dad before?"

Kurumi is a little surprised by the sudden question. But, she gives a very direct answer.

"Yes, I have, but it was a long time ago, and he knows about it."

Saori, now curious about the directness, asks.

"Why so direct with my question?"

Kurumi now gets a little mischievous herself as she asks.

"Why all the questions? Is there a boy who's caught your eye?"

Saori gets a little embarrassed as she quickly denies it.

"No, what makes you say that!?...(calms back down) I just want to know if you genuinely love him or not."

Kurumi then puts a more peaceful smile on as she explains to her daughter.

"Saori, believe when I say that before your father, I couldn't have cared less about other people. Truth is, before you, your brothers, and your sisters were born I still couldn't have cared less about other people. Only your father; we were married less than a year, and I ended getting pregnant before our first anniversary. So I think it's safe to say that I do love your father."

Saori doesn't feel anything that would question her mother. Rather, she's happy that she can trust her mother. Saori excuses herself from the table and says she's going to the library, but before she leaves, Kurumi gives her one last word of confidence.

"Always remember that no matter what, I love you, Saori."

Saori smiles and responds.

"I love you too, mom."

Saori exits her home and disappears into the shadows of the night-filled city. Elsewhere, the man that Saori heard in the café is out on the town with the woman with dyed hair. He is currently with her at a bar getting drinks. He goes to use the bathroom; as he finishes and washes his hands, he begins to hear faint laughing. He looks around the room to see the source. He finds nothing and just goes back to his date, who is oddly silent despite being an apparent flirt. The woman with dyed hair simply remains silent with a smile.

Later

The man has brought his date to a shady hotel. They go into a room, and he makes multiple passes at her, but she doesn't give a response beyond her smile. This begins to get on the man's nerves as he says, irritated.

"Hey, cut it out with the creepy smile! It was cute when we met up, but it's just…"

He shakes her a little, and her hair falls off as it is revealed to be a wig. But what startles him, is that she doesn't move anymore, and her hair is black. The laughing from earlier comes back but is louder as a hand reaches at his ankle from under the room's bed. This causes him to scream as he falls to the ground from shock. Saori emerges from under the bed in her spirit form, but the man is simply seeing a crazy girl coming from under his bed. She has a sadistic smile as she laughs at him for getting so scared and mocks him.

"Ufufufufu, you should see that look you have. Oh… it looks like you pissed your pants."

Saori then produces a bucket of what appears to be red paint. She then continues to berate the freighted man.

"Do you who I am? I'm an angel of death come to earth. I find unfaithful people such as you and punish them."

The man pleads with her.

"Look, I'm a family man, okay. I have a wife and two daughters. I just want to go back to them, please!"

Saori grits her teeth at the man's pleas.

"Wife and kids!? You came here to cheat on your wife, and I heard how little you truly care about your kids. Now, take off your shirt."

The man, still shaking, takes off his shirt, and Saori dips her fingers in the red paint and begins to draw on the man's body using her fingers as a brush. She draws six targets on his body, and upon finishing, she opens a small dark portal and produces Kurumi's musket. The man immediately runs away, but Saori instantly shoots all of the targets in the center. She is disappointed because she didn't tell him the fun part.

 _"Little did he know that this isn't red paint. I had a little fun with his tramp before I got here. How I wish I could have told him that."_

Saori vanishes since someone most likely heard the gunshot. She rides the train home to calm down. She receives a phone call from her father, who is concerned about her. He is worried because she is out rather late and knows that there are a lot of weirdoes running around at night. Saori is only further reminded that one of the only people that can actually be trusted is her father.

At the Itsuka home, Kurumi is reading a story to Emi. She is reading a longer book that Emi had picked out because when Shido reads to her, he uses different voices, and so he reads her shorter more fairy tale-like stories.

"Anna looked at the second story window and saw a young girl with blonde hair. This girl, who she could barely see, sat in a chair as old lady brushed her pretty hair, but it looked like it was hurting the girl."

Kurumi continues to read for a little while longer, and Emi falls asleep holding a kitty stuffed animal. Kurumi gives her youngest daughter a little kiss on the forehead and quietly leaves her room. Kurumi pokes her head into Miki's room and sees that she fell asleep while studying. Kurumi sighs as she picks up her daughter and puts her to bed. Miki's grades haven't been fantastic, so she's been studying to the point of exhaustion.

As Kurumi exits Miki's room, she notices Saori coming up the stairs. Kurumi welcomes her home as she asks.

"Was your evening enjoyable, Saori?"

Saori smiles at her mother and simply nods before going to her room. Saori sits on her bed as she stares at a photo of her parents at their wedding, debating something. At this point, Saori only has access to six of the twelve bullets. She has yet to take power from Koji and Emi. She summons a shadow to hand her one of Kurumi's muskets, jumps into a shadow and activates the tenth bullet, Yud. This allows to look into her mother's past, and she's not very happy with certain events.

Saori emerges from her shadow in her spirit form with her normal eye glaring with red.

 _"How dare she do those things to him…after all he's done for her."_

Saori grits her teeth as she is actually having thoughts of murdering her mother. She readies her guns as she uses the shadows and warps into her parent's closet. She pokes her head through the closet door and sees her parents sleeping in their bed. Saori quietly emerges from the closet with her pistol ready to fire. However, she sees her parents embracing as they sleep. She also thinks harder about the positive aspects of her mother's actions since she agreed to marry Shido. Every night since that day, Shido and Kurumi have slept in the same position, she's given him six children that they both genuinely love, and she has always them treated kindly. With all of this, Saori can't hate her mother; she still loves her very much.

"There are two kinds of forgiveness…forgiving the action, and forgiving the person. I can't do the former, but I can the latter."

Two Months later

Saori has claimed the lives of a few others in the past two months. The police are declaring a string of isolated incidents that aren't connected. They only say this to avoid causing panic. Saori is at school at the moment. At this point, she has siphoned power from Koji, which caused him to get sick for a couple of days. While at lunch, Saori is talking with her elder sister about a matter that she wants information on. A few days ago, Saori was picking Miki up from her school, which is Keisei Junior High School, and she noticed that one of Miki's friends had bruises on her wrists. Saori ordered her older sister to get information from any source. Asami is much more socially active with her friends than Saori is if she had any.

The two sisters are talking on the roof of the school with Saori having a puppet keeping tabs on the staircase. Saori is talking to her sister in a threatening manner and even has her backed against the wall of the doorway.

"What do you mean you don't have any information?"

Asami is afraid of her younger sister as she explains, nervously.

"Saori, I don't have any friends that are even in middle school. I couldn't get information from a place where I don't know anybody, except for Miki."

Saori growls a little and says.

"Fine, it's apparent you're not of any use to me in this endeavor."

Asami, still freighted, asks.

"How can treat me like this? If I did something to upset you, I'm sorry."

Saori begins to walk away and explains.

"An apology would be worthless at this point because you'd only make one because of the fear.(In her head) _I also have no real problem with you; I just need an informant under my thumb. Maybe I should get Reiji on this too."_

As Saori walks down the stairs to get back to class, she receives a phone call from her mother. Basically, Koji has a stomach ache and she has to keep an eye on him, so she can't meet Miki on her way home from school. Kurumi usually picks up Emi or Miki from school and asks her older children to pick up the one she doesn't. This isn't new since they live pretty far away from their schools. Reiji is picking up Emi from her elementary school. Saori happily agrees since she likes spending time with her beloved little sister. Plus, she can ask about her friend and those bruises.

Saori meets her little sister at the usual spot for her to meet up with their mother. Miki has her mother's black hair, which she keeps ay back length and is unkempt lately due to her late studying. She has Shido's amber-brown eyes, and is wearing her school's uniform, which used belong to Kotori. The two sisters casually greet one another, and Saori even offers.

"Hey, how about some ice cream? My treat."

Miki happily agrees to go with her big sister for a treat. Miki and Saori are the closest of the siblings when compared to the others. Saori actually remembers as a little girl when she asked for a little sister for her birthday one time. A little later after they get their ice cream, Saori asks Miki about her friend.

"So, Miki, who was that friend of yours I saw the other day? I ask because I wonder why you don't hang out with her that much."

Miki, who is licking a soft-served swirl ice cream cone, thinks and answers.

"Well, her mom calls her home almost every day after school, and she never says what it's about. I don't ask about it either because it's her family."

Miki doesn't suspect anything since she and her siblings usually do things to help their parents, so to her it's normal. Saori, on the other hand, has a better idea of who to look into. Saori rubs her sister's head with a smile. Even she before her new hobby, Saori has always been kind to her younger siblings. She then says to her beloved little sister.

"If you're having problems with classes, I can tutor you."

Miki's eyes light up as she responds.

"Really? Thank you so much, big sis."

Saori decides to drop Miki off at home and promises her that she (Saori) will be home in time to help with tutor her. Right now, Saori wants to find out more about Miki's friend. Saori manages to track her down from finding out about her daytime job as a tutor for a cram school that teaches younger children. Saori follows her home from her job and finds out where the bruises came from.

The girl, who can't be older than Miki, is living alone with her mother. The girl's mother is using her daughter as means to get steadier income. However, things get violent once the mom sees the grade on her recent tests, which are all 100%. She yells at her daughter and starts hitting her across the head and grabs her by the wrists whenever she's about to fall over. She also loudly yells at her.

"Why are trying to leave me!? You're just as awful as your father!"

Saori decides to wait another night to prepare herself to punish this woman for attacking her daughter. Besides, Miki's tutoring is more important to her anyway. Upon walking through the door of her home, Saori smells the aroma of pork cutlet curry. She walks into the kitchen and sees both of her parents preparing dinner. Kurumi is working on the salad and rice while Shido is working on the curry itself. Shido is still wearing his work uniform without the jacket and his undershirt has the sleeves rolled up. Saori wonders about this since her father doesn't normally cook on days that he works. Emi is sitting at the dinner table with a fork and a happy face with an innocent blush.

Miki comes into the room and explains to her sister that Emi got a perfect score on her final test in school this year and she asked their father to make pork cutlet curry as a reward. This only adds fuel to Saori's rage against that woman who abuses her daughter for excelling at school. Saori sits next to her youngest sister and praises her for her hard work. Tomorrow, Saori intends to have a lot of fun with her next target as she intends to make it slower.

Before going to sleep, Saori listens to Emi on through the other side of the wall and can hear Emi sobbing a little. Kurumi has just finished reading the story that she has been reading to Emi for the last couple of months. The ending of the story has gotten the young girl to start sobbing, and Kurumi presses Emi's head against her chest as she explains.

"Its okay, Emi, it's just a story."

Emi, still sobbing, says.

"But, her story was just so sad. Plus, Anna…"

Kurumi starts gently rubbing her daughter's back as she soothes her.

"Anna learned that she's always been loved; just like you and your brothers and sisters."

Emi then grabs her mother's rose-red dress and asks.

"Momma, will you stay with me until I fall asleep, please?"

Kurumi nods and lies next to her daughter and gently smiles as she watches her fall asleep. Saori then begins to feel a slight sense of guilt that she even had the notion of causing harm to her loving mother. Kurumi may not be a saint, in fact, she's quite indifferent towards most other people, if not resentful, but she shows nothing but love for her children.

Back to the present

Saori shakes her head as she prepares to engage Akane , but takes a more defensive stance. However, things are getting bad for the both of them as Aki has made his way to the battle scene. Saori may have to start relying on Zafkiel now, something she really doesn't want to do.

 **Author's Note- I actually have been working on this particular chapter before the last two, but I didn't know when I wanted to place it, but I really wanted to do a Saori centered chapter. This also why it is much longer than last two chapters.**


	29. Special Chapter 1

Special Chapter: The Tales of Tengu Pt.1

 **Quick Note: To kickstart my return to writing for this story, I have decided to do a short story inside because I haven't finished the next chapter. But I want to signify my return somehow. More of these stories will come because I'm working on two stories simultaneously and would like to show I'm working on them both. Whole chapters are harder for me because I have to remain within the stories rules that I set, and these shorts are simply easier to do for me.**

Tale 1: A Hero's Tribute

Hiro Itsuka, a Colonel in the AST, is taking this day particular day off. It is a date he has always kept in mind no matter what. He is walking around in his colonel uniform as he usually does. He is inside of a supermarket buying some supplies for his plans today. He buys some candles, a lighter, and a small cake. Upon reaching the payment counter, he sees a young man wearing a uniform who must work at this store, he looks very down. Hiro approaches the young man and asks.

"What has you looking down?"

The young man is a little surprised and even salutes the colonel as he exclaims.

"Oh, Colonel Itsuka sir, I wasn't…"

Hiro puts his hand up in "calm down" gesture as he responds.

"I can tell something is your mind and it may help to talk about it."

The young clerk nods and explains.

"Well, there's this girl who works for you…I don't think you know her. Anyway, I finally have the courage to propose, but I don't have anything to give her. I feel if I propose and don't have anything, then what good am I?"

Hiro taps the young man's shoulder and asks him.

"Do you love this girl?"

The clerk responds.

"I do…but…"

Hiro interrupts him and tells him.

"Then just tell her that you love her, and that you can't get a ring. If somebody really loves you, then they'll be happy just to know that there at the end of the day. I know tons of wizards in the AST who are married and all they care about is going home and seeing their families when it's all over."

The clerk smiles and says.

"But I still think I should at least get her something."

Hiro thinks for a second and says.

"I have a couple of friends in the entertainment business; just give me your girlfriend's name and I'll try an engraved ring for you."

The young clerk gets excited and profusely starts shaking the colonel's hand while expressing his gratitude. Hiro gets the name, pays for his groceries, and leaves the store. He then starts walking across the city a little and passes by a small group of children playing at a playground and sees a young child break another child's toy and tries to run away. He actually almost runs past Hiro, but the AST colonel stops him by putting his hand on his shoulder. The child then tries kicking Hiro's leg and repeatedly tells him to let go, but Hiro suggests.

"Why not go and admit you broke the toy?"

The child replies.

"What's it to you, you big bully."

Hiro isn't one to lose patience with citizens, especially children, so he maintains a calm persona as he explains.

"We all make mistakes. I do all the time."

The child looks up at him and recognizes him.

"Mr. Colonel, I uh…."

Hiro calmly explains to child.

"Believe me when I say that it is much better to admit that you made a mistake and apologize. It's easier on your head too."

The child looks a little afraid as he says.

"But…grown-ups will yell at me."'

Hiro shakes his head and retorts.

"They won't yell if you sincerely apologize. A coward lies, and a soldier admits the truth."

The young boy nods and nervously walks back to apologize for breaking the toy. Hiro smiles and continues his way to his destination. A little later, Hiro notices that someone wearing a hat and a coat is following him. He then walks into an alley to corner them knowing that they will follow. He waits a moment and then the person walks into the alley as he expected. The person then pulls out a butcher's knife and points it at him. He is almost ready to pull out one of his dual blades to fight back, but then he notices that the person is trembling. He asks.

"What are you doing?"

The person responds.

"What does it look like? I'm trying to kill you."

The person sounds like an older woman and Hiro gently walks to her and he she tries to stab at him, but he catches the knife and pulls it out of her hands. Her hat falls off and reveals a woman around her middle forties or early fifties. She breaks down on the ground and starts sobbing. Hiro takes a little pity on her and asks.

"Why are trying to kill me?"

The woman manages to sob out.

"Because you're a murderer….my daughter…last year… she was in your squad."

Hiro kneels down and asks.

"You wouldn't happen to be Nozomi Izumi's mother, would you?"

The woman and Hiro start talking to each other for a while. Hiro talks fondly of the woman's daughter as she was a highly memorable person in his squad. She was killed during the second half of the war. The woman then apologizes.

"I'm so sorry, Colonel Itsuka. My daughter was all I had, and I just don't know what to do anymore."

Hiro then reaches into his pocket and pulls out a photo from his wallet. He then shows it the woman and it shows Hiro along with his squad before they fought in the war. The woman notices her daughter among the wizards. Hiro explains to her.

"I cared everybody in my squad, and it saddens me that I was the only survivor of my squad. But their sacrifices are why our city is in the peaceful time it is. Your daughter was very brave, and she died a hero"

The woman then gives a more peaceful smile as she is content to know that the colonel thinks so highly of her daughter. The woman then holds out her arms and Hiro wonders.

"What are you doing?"

The woman calmly answers.

"I'm being arrested without resisting."

Hiro shakes his head as he tells the woman.

"I'm not going to arrest you."

The woman becomes anxious as she adds.

"I held a knife to you and threaten to kill you! I don't deserve to walk free."

Hiro stands up and says.

"Listen, I know what it's like to lose someone, and I also know that you're just grieving. But I have a suggestion."

The woman looks at Hiro a little more focused as she listens.

"I'm sure someone like you still has a lot of love to give. I have a friend who runs an animal sanctuary. Why not adopt an animal and spend your days giving it the love it needs."

The lady nods and Hiro gives her directions then sees her off. He then finally makes his way to the place that he had been heading to. It is a place that is very important to him, it a place in a nearby forest outside the city near a stream. Hiro places his dual blades into the ground and pulls out his wallet again. This time, he pulls out a photo that he has folded in four, and looks at as he places on his the hilts of his dual blades. He then pulls out the cake he purchased and the candles. He lights the candles, places them in the cake and says to the photo.

"Happy birthday, Aunty."

The photo he has placed is a photo of Mana wearing a hospital robe as she lies in a bed. This is last photo of her that was ever taken. This spot is wear Mana would take Hiro camping to spend time with him. He then continues to talk to the photo with somewhat happy tone.

"Can you believe that I'm nineteen years old now? It's been nearly a year since the war, and we won…I've probably already told you this about a thousand times already though. I really wish you were here right now to see it…"

At this point Hiro slams his fist into the ground as he starts tearing up from this.

"Damn it! Why didn't you stay with us? Why didn't you let us help you? I don't why I don't feel like speaking kindly of you right now…"

While Hiro cries for his aunt, his other one shows up. This time's Kotori is wearing a bigger version of her commander uniform and she has bandages covering her arms and her neck. She tells her nephew.

"Because she was selfish."

Hiro turns and sees his aunt standing behind him as she kneels beside him and starts talking to the photo like him.

"That's right, I said it. You were a selfish girl who only thought of protecting her family. You were so selfish that you refused my help, and too selfish to even think about how we'd you feel when you were gone. Yeah, I admit it, I miss you selfish idiot."

Hiro is surprised to see his aunt Kotori talk this way to Mana like that and watches as Kotori walks away without saying another word. Hiro then looks at the photo again and says.

"Ignore her, Aunty. I have a lot more to tell you."


	30. Chapter 29 real

CH.29 Joy Amongst the Snow Pt2

Mana can only watch aboard the ship as a battle between the three spirit children is about to heat up. Aki is standing on the snow covered streets as he looks upon the two girls with a blank expression. He sees the flames around Akane, and Saori holding her swords, and Aki simply states in his dual voice.

"Have you two come to bring harm to my child?"

Akane immediately lowers her flames as she can tell this is making Aki uneasy. She has to make sure that she makes the right moves to make her plan work. Luckily, the AST had the locals evacuated because of the spirit activity. They're going to keep it this way for a while, so there isn't any real rush.

Aboard the ship, Kurumi helps Hiro to the medical bay as she feels a little inclined to help him after what happened with Saori. Mana, feeling great concern, immediately makes her way to the medical bay to help. Kurumi immediately goes back down to the streets, after undoing all of her wounds with Dalet. She really doesn't want to deal with Mana, and would rather go to the Itsuka residence to be closer to Shido.

Mana is naturally mad at Kurumi for abandoning Hiro after what he did. Mana gets Hiro's body bandaged as his injuries are bad. His clothes are torn to reveal his injuries; he has a big slash wound on his back, his legs are heavily bruised, his left eye is now too damaged to be useful, and he has become sick from the cold weather and has a fever. Mana removes his shirt to cover his body in bandages, but is shocked to see the scars the cover his torso. She is mortified by the amount of scars that this nineteen year old boy has all over his torso. It's clear that he has put his body through hell for his ambitions. But for now, she's going to see to it that Hiro gets some rest once she patches him up. She goes back to the bridge and contacts Ellen to find out about any medicine that might be aboard since she can't tell what is best to use at this time.

Ellen, who is still helping with the delivery, answers Mana's question. While this is going on, Shido is still at Yoshino's side and holding her hand. Yoshino then calls out.

"I can feel the head now!"

The group manages to stay straight with Shido and Ellen constantly telling them to keep it together. Tohka is particularly anxious since she's been with this Yoshino for a while and has actually been looking forward to this. She then reaches for Yoshino's phone and dials a number, then hands it to her (Yoshino). She is a little confused until she hears the voice on the other side and says.

"Shido…the baby's coming."

While Shido can't hear his alternate self, he can imagine the regret that he is feeling for not being here for this. As Yoshino talks to her husband, she looks at Shido and tells him (her husband).

"It's okay, I really feel like you're right at my side right now."

Shido's heart begins to race as he can see how happy Yoshino is despite being in huge amount of pain right now.

The fight between the three spirit children is starting to get more intense again. While none of them have moved, Akane has to enact her plan. She looks Saori, who is having trouble staying up, and notices that her clock is moving; Akane reviewed her fight with Ashcroft, and knows about this tactic. Curious, Akane watches and waits as Aki begins to walk closer to Saori. He is acting like an animal inspecting a hazard. Saori is staying a cautious of his movements as she slightly moves her foot; something that Akane notices.

" _So, she's afraid of him."_

Akane smirks as she decides to enact her plan; she runs away towards the shrine. Aki ignores this as he perceives it as her showing fear to him. He instead walks closer to Saori, who, in a panic, shoots him with her hidden gun and stops time around him and she thinks to herself.

" _Damn it!"_

The time freeze disperses immediately as Aki's aura bleeds through it. He then charges at Saori with a blank expression on his face. She runs with Akane to hopefully get his attention aimed at her instead. Akane then shouts to Mana aboard the ship to pick her up. Mana swiftly presses the controls to pick up Akane. Once Akane has left, Saori is alone with the attacking Akihiko. The minute Saori realizes her situation; she is immediately punched in the face by Aki and sent crashing into another wall. Saori picks herself up immediately and angrily says.

"Screw this! I'm out of here!"

Saori then fades into the shadows causing her guardian and her puppets to disappear with her. Now alone, Aki aimlessly wanders around the area. Akane then teleports back down upon seeing Saori retreat. With the current situation, Saori will need to be dealt with a different time. Akane then notice Aki walking towards the shrine. She tries to stop him, but she lowers her flames first to avoid provoking him.

Aki turns to see her approaching and readies his sword, Akane stops and holds up her hands and calmly says.

"I'm not here to hurt you, Aki. I just want to talk."

Aki takes a minute to inspect her and reacts.

"You are similar to my child. Very well, speak."

Akane can't get used to his dual voice, but she asks him as calm as she can.

"I'm your friend Akane remember? We're supposed to be looking for Tohka and Origami, remember?

Aki approaches closer as he doesn't appear any more trusting. Akane continues.

"Remember when you told me that you wanted to help Shido? What about your mother? Don't you still miss her?"

Aki then speaks in his normal voice as his eyes widen at the word "Mother".

"My…mother…."

Aki then drops his dark sword as he begins to put his hands to his head and after a minute of doing nothing. Something seems to go off as Aki begins to fall to his knees as he starts to sweat a little but it doesn't appear that he is experiencing pain as this inversion is only partial. He then raises his fact to the sky and his dark armor fades as he falls forward and passes out. Akane then says to herself.

"Two down, one to go."

Akane makes her way back to the shrine and now sees a wondrous site. Miyuki's ice sphere has completely changed shape. It now resembles her parents holding her tightly with what appears to be a baby being held alongside her. The tendril-like ice shapes are now replaced with what appear to be trees. All of these shapes are formed from the ice. From a distance, Saori watches and holds out a pistol and says.

"Let's see you get out of this one, flame Bitch!"

Saori fires and hits the ice sculpture of Yoshino causing Miyuki to start panicking again. The sculptures of her parents form the sphere again and the trees turn into sharp spiked poles that start spinning. Akane can't help but feel worried as her plan to stop Miyuki needs more time, so she spends minutes dodging the poles and Miyuki refuses to calm down since Akane needs to use her flames to melt the objects as dodging them can be difficult. After some more time of this, Miyuki's sphere gathers the surrounding ice and it begins to take a new shape.

Akane readies for whatever this new shape is, but to her surprise, this new shape looks like an adorable bear with a big grin and Miyuki is sitting in the chest. Either way, the bear slaps Akane across the shrine and the claws cut her side, but they quickly heal. After recovering, Akane then hears what she's been waiting for as she tells Mana to blast up the volume on the communicator's broadcasts on the ship so that the others can hear what's going on. Akane then takes off her communicator, leaps into the air, and gathers a bunch of flames into her fist as she drives into the bear's chest and puts her hand near Miyuki's head and she can hear what Akane wanted her to hear as she says.

"You're a big sister now, Miyuki."

Miyuki's eyes then open as she listens to the sounds of a baby crying through the communicator. The ice then begins melt when Miyuki wakes up. Mana then pick Aki up with the ship to get him to bed.

At the Itsuka residence, Yoshino is now holding a baby that has been cleaned and wrapped in a blanket. Her crying echoes through the house as everyone looks at her in awe. Yoshino nuzzles her head against her newborn daughters face. She then looks at Shido and asks.

"Do you want to hold her?"

Shido gets a little nervous as he answers.

"Well…I don't really know how to feel right now."

Yoshino sits up and then hands Shido the baby. He looks at her little face and gets a little blush as he is moved by her cuteness and suddenly has a better idea of what his counterparts felt when their children were born. He feels joy holding her, and the baby suddenly begins to open her eyes and sees Shido. She then actually starts giggling a little and even reaches to him. Yoshino laughs a little and says.

"Look, she already knows her daddy's face."

Moments later, Akane arrives at the residence with Miyuki, who immediately runs over to see her baby sister. The house is then filled with even more warm feelings as Miyuki lovingly tickles her baby sister while Shido kneels down so that Miyuki can see her.

Unfortunately, Akane talks with Ellen and Kotori about the situation and it doesn't go well. From the start, Kotori and Ellen have been unsure about Saori, and with the incident with Aki, they think that she had something to do with it. Moreover, Kotori and Ellen are baffled by a partial inversion.

Based on the on the idea that Saori somehow caused the partial inversion, the three girls come the conclusion that whoever Saori is working for is either Westcott, and that he's trying to force the spirits to inverse again, or someone else who needs them to inverse for a different purpose. This leaves them worried about Miyuki since Akane noticed her unusual amount of power for a base awakening. They feel that it isn't good for Miyuki to be here alone without too much protection.

After a while, Ellen decides to be the one to break the news to Yoshino. Kotori and Akane agreed since Ellen is a mother and can best empathize with Yoshino on this matter. Shido took the girls out for soup to leave Ellen alone with Yoshino and the baby. Ellen empathetically tells Yoshino.

"I understand that you don't want your daughter, especially at her age, to be on such a dangerous mission with us. But you have to understand that we're only trying to help her."

Yoshino looks at Ellen with a serious look and says.

"It's not that I don't trust what you're saying, but Tohka's been with us for months and we haven't seen anything strange until today."

Ellen explains.

"Yes, but there are two factors into that are most likely behind that. The first, is that, from what we've seen, time seems to move at different speeds between the universes, and the other being that your daughter's powers may have been awakened only recently."

Yoshino still doesn't want to let her daughter go, and then Ellen adds.

"Yoshino, I've seen what these people can do. There was this woman who beat Kotori and Kurumi like they were nothing. She could easily come here and take your daughter from you. I'm genuinely afraid of that woman; she's not like anyone I've ever met."

Yoshino gives a sad look and after a moment she nods. Ellen then puts her hand on Yoshino's shoulder and then tells her.

"I'm a mother as well. I know this can't be easy, but we'll protect her with everything we have, I promise."

Yoshino still has a sad look and it's going to be harder to tell Miyuki the news. Yoshino tries to cheer herself up and says to Ellen.

"I can't believe that you used to be the woman that used to cause us so much trouble."

Ellen smiles and shrugs. Aboard the ship, Mana is looking after Hiro after Akane told her everything was settled. She has also moved Aki to a bed without treatment as he has only gotten a couple of bruises. With the boys resting, she decides to see exactly what happened at the shrine when Aki partially inversed. To her shock, the video feed shows what happened. The moment Hiro left, Saori assaulted Aki from behind, knocked him down, and she actually manifests his Azael, this surprises her because she thinks that this is Aki's sword. Then, Saori drives the sword into his body. But oddly, he doesn't bleed and this is what caused his partial inversion.

Upon getting the soup, Shido and the girls make their way back. Shido isn't aware of what happened as the girls thought it would be better to tell him once everything was settled. Immediately, Tohka walks next to Shido and asks.

"Now can I meet our son?"

Tohka has a somewhat impatient look, but Shido casually smiles and answers.

"Fine, you've been patient for a while now."

Shido talks to Mana through his communicator. Kotori said that she wanted to be there when the baby was born and told Shido that Mana was better suited to monitor duty among their peers. Aboard the ship, Mana is trying to figure out the video because there's something that still boggles her mind. Shido calls her and asks.

"Hey, Mana, could you tell me where Aki is?"

Mana, knowing the situation, tells Shido.

"He's asleep right now. He burnt himself out running around apparently."

Shido understands and tells Tohka.

"Our son is asleep, so we'll have to meet him when we leave."

Tohka is tempted to get pouty, but Shido is only being considerate about everyone else, so she decides to be a little more patient, but still adds.

"Then you owe me a kiss on our date."

Shido agrees but then gets a little bit of a stink eye from Akane and even Shiori. Once they arrive back, Yoshino tells everyone that she's agreed to let Miyuki go with them. She accepts that Miyuki may not be safe with all of the crazy events going on. Miyuki is upset about this as she asks with a sad look.

"You want me to leave, Mommy?"

Miyuki starts crying and her body begins to glow green a little. The others are ready to for anything, but Yoshino puts down her baby, walks over to her daughter, and hugs as she explains.

"Of course not, I always want you around. But bad people are doing bad things, and they could be out to hurt you. These people are our friends, and I promise they'll look after you."

Miyuki is prepared to talk back, but Yoshinon interferes by saying.

"Yeah, Miyuki, we can't just stay here and let the bad guys get us."

Miyuki looks down at the ground as she adds.

"But…I'm not a superhero, I don't have special powers or anything…"

Akane interjects and tells her.

"Actually, you do have special powers. Everybody here does, and we're part of a secret school here to teach how use those powers."

Shido, Ellen, and Kotori give Akane a "really" look. Miyuki looks at Akane with awe and asks.

"So…you're saying that everyone in here is a superhero?"

Shido and others go with it as they agree that they shouldn't tell Miyuki the scarier parts. But Miyuki still sadly asks.

"How long will I be gone for?"

Shido, empathetic towards her situation comfortingly answers.

"We can't say, but I promise it won't be very long."

Miyuki finally agrees and goes to pack some of her stuff. Shido then asks Yoshino.

"How are you going to tell your husband?"

Yoshino simply answers.

"I'll tell him the truth. He'll understand once I explain to him."

Shido rubs the back of his head and apologizes.

"I'm sorry we've been such a burden on you."

Shido feels guilty about this whole situation, but Yoshino assures him.

"You've done a lot actually."

Yoshino picks her baby up and sits down as Shido disagrees.

"I didn't much for you."

Yoshino shakes her head as she rebukes.

"You were all right at my side the whole time."

Shido blushes again as he asks.

"Can I hold her again?"

Yoshino hands Shido the baby as he warmly looks at her small body in amazement.

Elsewhere in the city, Saori is hiding an abandoned building. She is upset at her defeat again as she notices that her lip and nose are bleeding from being hit in the face repeatedly. She is tempted to attack the ship, but realizes that wouldn't survive a full assault. So she calls out.

"I know you're here, Freki."

Surely enough, Freki walks out of the shadows as she casually asks.

"How was your venture, Miss Shooter?"

Saori angrily retorts.

"Don't condescend to me, you Tobiichi wannabe."

Freki clenches her fist and smacks Saori across the face with her fist as she angrily snaps.

"Don't ever compare me to Origami Tobiichi, ever!"

Saori lets being hit slide this time as she is more upset at Shido's group. The two then leave together as they need to report to Shinra about what has happened.

With everything settled, the group boards the Bifrost with their newest member or members in this case. Shido is then informed in private about the battle of the shrine. Akane, Mana, Kotori, and Kurumi are present to informing him. Shido is naturally upset about this as thought that Saori was changing, no it's more like he wanted to hope that she was changing. Akane states.

"I expected this to happen anyway."

Kotori adds.

"Yeah, I don't think anyone on the ship trusted her."

Kurumi shrugs and says.

"Well, she is MY daughter after all."

Shido rebukes this by saying.

"But it doesn't make sense! She has such a loving family, a good home, and friends."

Mana then retorts this by asking her brother.

"But we don't know anything about her personally. Other than she's a murderer like her mother."

Kotori says the obvious thing at this point that Shido doesn't want to admit.

"Yeah, she's made it clear that we're enemies."

Shido goes to check on Hiro, who is still asleep but his fever has gone down from the medicine. Aki wakes up shortly after they crew came back. He is still lying in bed as he is still a little tired and has no memory of what happened. Shido arrives in the room and sees him. He tells him to wait a minute as someone is dying to meet him. Shido figures that Hiro can wait as he isn't going anywhere. Aki waits a minute, and after this wait, Tohka opens the door to the sickbay, and her eyes suddenly light up with wonder. Shido approaches from behind her and she asks.

"Is this him, Shido?"

Shido answers.

"Yup. Tohka Yatogami, meet our son Akihiko Itsuka."

Aki is beyond words as it has felt like forever since he last saw his mom's face with that look on it. He raises his hand and says.

"Uh…hi."

Tohka slowly walks up to him and immediately gives him a bear hug while shouting.

"He looks just like us! He has my hair, he has my eyes, but he has your face!"

Shido is happy for Tohka, but is worried about Hiro's reaction if he wakes up and sees Tohka. Shido pulls Tohka away as he says.

"They need some rest, Tohka. You can hug him later."

Tohka is struggling to get back as she is finished hugging him. Aki feels refreshed as he misses being hugged by his mother. In the dining area of the ship, the group decides that Miyuki should decide dinner as they feel very guilty about bringing such a young child aboard. Shido is wearing an apron, ready to cook anything, as he asks Miyuki.

"Anything you want, I'll cook. So what'll it be? Ice cream, candy, cookies, or pancakes?"

Yoshino gets in Shido's face and tells him.

"Does Miyuki look like a piggy to you?"

Miyuki pulls back Yoshinon and scolds her.

"Yoshinon, that isn't a nice thing to say to grownups."

Miyuki then looks at Shido and nervously asks.

"I…would it be…okay…to have…pork curry with rice and salad?"

Ellen, who is watching from the table giggles a little because she is somewhat reminded of her daughter, who she is beginning to miss more and more. Shido then proceeds to make what Miyuki wants, and as the crew eats their dinner, Miyuki remarks to Kotori and Akane as they have neglected their salads.

"Oh, you two don't want dessert?"

Kotori and Akane are both getting ready to unwrap some candy as they both ask.

"What?"

Miyuki explains.

"Daddy says that girls and boys, who don't finish their veggies, don't get dessert."

Shido nods as he walks over to the flame users and takes their candy from them as he says.

"Yup, I agree."

Kotori snaps and tells Shido.

"Hey, give me that back! I not a little girl anymore, Shido."

Akane adds.

"Yeah, and I'm older than she is!"

Shido shakes his head as he responds.

"But isn't the job of the elders to set an example for the children?"

Kotori and Akane both eat their salads to get their candy back as they both feel like they just became ten years younger. Shido has a feeling that retribution is coming, but he's having a little fun right now acting like a dad. Miyuki then gets ready for bed as she brushes her teeth and puts on some pajamas. She then asks for a story. Shido is getting ready to tell her one, when Ellen interjects and offers to do it. Shido doesn't object, but still asks why. Ellen explains in a soft way.

"What happened today makes me miss being a mom a little, so I'd like to do this to relieve some of those worries."

Shido agrees and lets Ellen do it. The group waits for Miyuki to fall asleep so they can move to the next time.


	31. Chapter 31

Ch. 30 A Moment of Relief

With all of the insanity that the group has dealt with, Shido decides to give a suggestion to Kotori and Mana, who are currently at the ship's helm. Shido thought of this last night, and suggests to Kotori.

"You know, we really haven't gotten the chance to do anything fun in a while, so we don't we take a day off to enjoy a day at the beach or something?"

Kotori doesn't oppose the idea, but has to ask.

"But what about Origami? I mean, we need to help her to and all."

Shido has a slightly worried look, but explains.

"Kotori, we basically just separated a young girl from her parents, I got Aki involved when he had nothing to do with this problem. Not to mention the others that got hurt because of me."

Mana enters the control area after hearing her brother and rebukes this in a concern tone.

"Big brother, whoever started this is to blame, not you or us."

Shido scratches the back of his head and adds.

"Yeah, but I think we still deserve some time off."

Mana and Kotori agree to this and decide to park the ship close to an island and have a day at the beach.

Elsewhere on the ship, Ellen is walking around since she can't get to sleep with her arm still in a sling. Kurumi is standing in the corridors of the ship in her astral dress as Ellen spots her. Kurumi looks at Ellen with an annoyed look, points her gun at her, and fires a shot at Ellen. Ellen makes no attempt to dodge this and instead takes the bullet. Her body then begins to reverse as she moves her arm a bit better. Ellen simply asks.

"Why didn't you use your power to help Hiro? He needs it more than I do."

Kurumi simply answers.

"Because that annoying soldier said I better save my time for someone who's worth it. Since he's out for a while, we might as well have you on standby."

Ellen wonders about Hiro now, but she decides to drop it for the time being since she needs to go to Shido and check on him. She thanks Kurumi, and walks to the bridge. Kurumi goes to the sickbay to check on Hiro, who is doing a little better but has a lot of bandages on his body from the injuries he has. Aki left the sickbay to go sleep in his cabin in the ship leaving Hiro alone in this room. Kurumi enters the room and looks upon Hiro and bluntly asks.

"What are you playing at?"

Hiro sits in the bed and simply smiles at her as he responds.

"Nothing, I just don't want you to waste your time on me is all."

Kurumi adds.

"You lost your eye. So you should just let me do something to fix that."

Hiro shakes his head and tells her.

"The fact you're okay is enough to make me feel better."

Kurumi gets a little annoyed and places a jar with a red eye in it and tells him.

"Then take this. I took out of one of my duplicates. So it's fine."

Hiro attempts to hand it to her, but she then knocks him out by smacking the wound on his chest which causes him to pass out from the pain. She then takes the eye out of the jar, pulls back Hiro's face bandage, and proceeds to crudely remove his damaged eye and replace it with the good one. She manages to do it successfully and walks out of the room whispering.

"Now we're even."

In the kitchen, Shido is preparing a picnic for the beach trip since he's decided to surprise the others. He is making sandwiches, rice balls with various fillings, salad, and some other things. Ellen walks into the kitchen to check on him since Kotori told her where he is.

Ellen tells Shido what happened, and then thinks that Hiro should probably stay on the ship for a while. Ellen offers to stay aboard the ship to protect him, but Shido disagrees and says and asks.

"I think he'll be fine alone on the ship. Besides, remember last night when you said you missed being a mom?"

Ellen nods and Shido explains to her.

"I bet you miss being a wife too. So I've decided that we're taking a day at the beach, and I'll be your husband for an afternoon."

Ellen blushes, and Shido blushes as well and immediately with a flustered look.

"But I mean within reason. You should know what I'm talking about right?"

Ellen's blush then gets replaced with grin as begins to laugh a little at Shido's innocence in this matter. After laughing for a little while, Ellen simply replies.

"I look forward to it then."

 **Author's Note- I'm very sorry this chapter took so long and that it is so short. I've been a little pressed on Next Generation Dragons and have had little time to work on this story, but I am doing my best to juggle my stories. I even decided to start doing shipping fic of DXD. I am not quitting Spirit Children, I've just been slow and I am sorry.**


	32. Spirit Children Thus Far

Spirit Children Thus Far

 **As a request from a couple of readers, I will post this page to keep track of the spirit children and some back-story in case people have forgotten as I have difficulties myself.**

Akihiko Itsuka Age: 16

The son of Shido and Tohka; an honest young man who has lived a normal life up to the point of the story thus far. He has a younger sister named Aiko, who he has a normal relationship with. He had no knowledge of the Spirits as Tohka and Shido decided to raise him as a normal child. Upon joining the past version of his father, he awakened to his latent powers that he gained from his mother. He seems to be a person of interest to the mysterious masked man Shinra.

Akane Itsuka Age: 16

The daughter of Shido and Kotori, and the current commander of the Fraxinus. A hot-headed young woman, Akane was told of her heritage at an early age when it became clear that DEM was acting suspicious suddenly when she turned six. Assuming command at thirteen, Akane later learned of her Spirit powers while training with Origami Tobiichi, her bodyguard. Akane joined Shido under special circumstances, but wishes to learn about the person behind the dimensional traveling.

Saori Itsuka Age: 16

The youngest of a set triplets born to Kurumi and Shido. Saori is a serial killer known by the media as the Shooter, a person who kills their targets by painting targets on the victim's body using the blood of a previous tortured person. She began this when she betrayed by two former friends and a male teacher who the latter was making advances on her. She didn't know about her mother's past prior to this as Kurumi and Shido chose to remain silent on this out of concern for their children's safety. Saori's being betrayed, and eventual career as a serial killer has left her with a complete lack of faith in human goodness, and her discover of DEM only furthered her disdain. She works for Shinra for some unknown reason.

Hiro Itsuka Age: 19

The son of Origami and Shido, and a colonel in the new AST called the Allied Society of Terraforming. Unlike Origami when she was younger, Hiro has always loved the Spirits. This is because at a young age, the Spirit's have always been a part of his life and have been part of his best experiences. He contrasts this love with a burning hatred of DEM. He even went as far as to cause a war against them which resulted in the deaths of Tohka and Yuzuru. Despite this, Hiro won the war for the AST and has since dedicated his life to protecting Tengu City and making sure the Spirits get the peace they deserve, and even established Spirit Day.

Shiori Itsuka Age: 17

The Daughter of Shido and Miku, a pop idol who takes a lot from both of her parents. She attends Raizen High School despite Miku wanting her to attend Rindouji like herself, but Shiori thought the idea of attending an all girls school to be asinine due to her already having male friends. An ever friendly girl, Shiori is beloved by her fans and is the star of Full Moon Studios, which is owned by her mother. She constantly tours with her instrument players, and loves every second of performing. She has joined Shido's group to learn more about her powers and heritage.

Miyuki Itsuka Age: 4

The young daughter of Shido and Yoshino, Miyuki is a shy girl who relies on Yoshinon, who chose to be with her, for moral support to her darkest times. Only being four years old, Miyuki doesn't understand adult conflict and has a very loving relationship with her parents. Possibly one of the more dangerous Spirit children, Miyuki was recruited against everyone's better judgment, but they felt she was in danger staying with her parents. Somehow, Shinra knew about her dangerous powers before anyone else.


	33. Chapter 33

CH.32 A Day in the Sun

The group finds a small island under the sun, and Shiori even packed swimsuits for everyone as she had packed some of her father's old swimsuits for the boys, and some of her spare swimsuits for the ladies. Hiro is now awake and is walking around with his bandages still apparent as his jacket is open revealing his bandaged chest. He walks past Aki, who is preparing to leave with others as Hiro is staying aboard on the ship alone. Mana offered to stay with him, but he declined upon telling her that she deserves to have fun. Once everyone leaves the ship, Hiro goes into the bathroom on the ship on undoes the bandage on his face revealing a red eye, the one given to him by Kurumi. He is disappointed in her rather rash decision, but goes with it as he says.

"Might as well make use of her generosity."

Hiro then puts his bandage back on and proceeds to do what he plans to do, research. The others are on the beach of this island. Shido is wearing pretty much the same swim trunks in his normal time as this is a pair of his old ones. Aki is wearing a similar pair only purple. Ellen is wearing a tan one-piece with yellow parero, Tohka is wearing a purple two-piece with a pair of sandals, Kotori is wearing a red and white two-piece, Akane is wearing a similar pair, but with a white jacket, Mana is wearing a blue surfing suit as Shiori didn't have a spare in her size, and Shiori is wearing a yellow one-piece with a sun hat. Miyuki is wearing a pink one-piece with a green skirt. With a picnic, sun block, and an energetic vibe, the group prepares for their beach day.

 **Unknown area, Unknown time**

Saori sits in a fetal position in a dark room where the only sound she can hear is her own heart beating. She is wearing her astral dress as she sits in the dark with her thoughts.

" _No one understands how hopeless I was, I…I lost all my friends…."_

Suddenly, Saori starts chuckling as a clone seemingly splits off from her with a sadistic grin and tells her other self.

"That's not true, Saori. I mean, what about me? I'm your best friend, and a part of you."

Saori looks at this duplicate with an odd sad look as she retorts.

"You kill people! You're not me!"

The duplicate shakes her head with her finger in held up as she replies.

"Saori, why do you fight me? Master Shinra brought us together so that I could make the pain stop. Misato and that bastard Hito deserved to die. So did that asshole teacher of ours. They all died, they all screamed, and they knew who the helpless were."

Saori then wakes up in the middle of warehouse on a futon she placed there. She is wearing her undergarments as she doesn't have other clothes. She simply says to herself.

"Another dream…I wonder if she'll begin to fight back at all?"

Saori then puts on her astral dress and warps out of this warehouse to go with whatever she plans to do next.

 **Back at the beach**

The group is enjoying their beach trip as they have Aki practice his sword swings by hitting a watermelon with a wooden sword. He manages to split it with one hit thanks to his training. Everyone then eats some juicy melon. Aki and Tohka immediately go swimming in the ocean, Mana and Kotori are drinking cold drinks under an umbrella, Ellen bathes in the sun, and Kurumi is up to something as she digs through the basket they brought. Shdio watches with a smile, but is a little surprised that Miyuki is simply sitting next to him. He looks at her and gently asks.

"Don't you want to go swimming, Miyuki?"

Yoshinon gets in Shido's face and says, in a controlled tone.

"Miyuki can't swim, Mr. Shido. She didn't bring her float either."

Miyuki continues in Yoshinon's place.

"…My daddy tried to teach me, but I threw a fit when I dropped Yoshinon in the pool. He gave me a time out for that, but he didn't yell at me either."

Shido thinks that if her powers had awakened at that time it would have been a disaster. Shido then offers.

"Well, how about I help you both swim."

Miyuki looks at the teenager, who she doesn't realize is her father, in a manner of speaking, and gleefully accepts his offer. Shido and Miyuki stand up so they can go swimming in the ocean. Shido then looks around and notices that Akane and Shiori aren't anywhere to be seen.

The two are actually on a different end of the island. Shiori is confused as she politely asks.

"Akane, why are we here?"

Akane sits on a nearby rock as she explains to the pop star.

"Look, you're a spirit child like me and certain others we know. I explained this to you."

Shiori nods and Akane continues.

"What I want to see is what you can do. When we saw your spirit form, it was more different than your mother's than I expected."

With this, Shiori assumes her spirit form and equips her guitar. This is what Akane is confused by as she thinks about it.

" _Miku used her voice to create powerful vibrations, and influence people's thoughts, but she never used a guitar. Her angel is even an unrelated instrument."_

Shiori then begins playing a riff with her guitar as she masterfully plays it. This is even catches Akane's ear as she actually assumes her own spirit form and holds up her hand and lights up her fingers with fire to simulate lighters. She (Akane) then comments.

"Jeez, what can't you do with an instrument?"

Shiori looks at her guitar with a warm smile and replies.

"I can only play guitar and piano. Guitar was the first instrument I actually performed a show with."

Akane rubs her chin a little.

"So, you started your career as a guitar playing idol?"

Shiori answers.

"Not exactly."

Shiori then explains to her friend about her first concert ever, and it wasn't what she planned.

"About a couple years ago, I was helping out at the school festival as a planner. I was in charge of helping with the school concert so that we could beat Rindouji that year since they opened a maid café before we could, so we opened a butler café in response for the ladies. In the end, we tied until the concert. Our performers got sick because one of the other school's was selling tainted apples. Me and Hibiki then had a dilemma, and I was very shy about performing. It was then I saw a mask nearby, and hibiki covered her face with a fencers helmet, and we got up and performed a song we secretly practiced together for fun. I remember the crowd cheering and whistling for me. Then, Hibiki took my mask off and revealed my face to the entire audience. To my surprise, my parents were clapping and cheering before my mask came off, and when it did, they clapped even harder."

Akane, knowing about Miku's past, asks.

"Why didn't you attend Rindouji? I mean, it was your mom's school."

Shiori smiles and shakes her head.

"I love my mother, but I also love expanding my horizons. I don't believe in gender exclusive schools. I've actually tried to petition to have Rindouji go co-ed, but I failed. I like having male friends, and I have so many."

Akane gives a hearty laugh as she adds.

"Guess you won't have any problems finding a boyfriend with that attitude."

Shiori blushes a little and replies.

"Actually…I'd prefer a girl as romantic partner. Hibiki wasn't just my manager you know..."

Akane isn't shocked in the slightest at Shiori's sexuality as she is Miku's daughter. However, Shiori then starts becoming sadder as she reminisces.

"Hibiki was my first friend when I started Middle School, we began dating in our third year, and I was hoping we'd get married after high school…"

Shiori starts crying a little and her body begins to emit a purple aura, and the ground begins to shake indicating she is starting a special quake. Akane is panicking and doesn't know what to do, but then Hiro tells her via communicator as she still has hers.

"The quake will simply be aimed into the ocean, just let her get it out of her system, the others do notice it, but I've informed Ellen and Kotori about it."

Instead, Akane goes with it, walks up, and hugs Shiori while telling her.

"Just let it all out, Shiori."

On the other side of the island, Shido is now playing with Miyuki in the water so she won't notice the ground shaking is it noticeable in the water. Miyuki is laughing as she is having a great time playing in the water. Tohka and Aki are having a friendly swimming contest as they between two points marked by large rocks and see who can go the longest. Ellen is still bathing in the sun and is asleep. Due to their activities, and Ellen's apparent heavy sleeping, they don't even notice the ground shaking. Kurumi, who is just plain ignoring the shaking, then calls for Shido as he is just getting Miyuki to swim even with Yoshinon on her hand. He looks at Miyuki and asks.

"Can you wait here a minute, Miyuki? Just stay at the shallow end until I get back."

Miyuki happily complies as she manages to swim to a shallow area where she can stand. On the other side where Akane and Shiori are, Shiori is calming down a bit as the shaking stops, and there is now a hole in the ocean some yards where they are. Akane sits back down on her rock and asks.

"Are you feeling up to trying your powers?"

Shiori looks at her guitar and nods. Akane then points to another rock and tells her.

"Okay, shred that rock."

Shiori looks confused as she asks.

"You want me to destroy that rock?"

Akane just shrugs as she replies.

"Give it a whirl."

Shiori looks unsure of how to approach this and Akane gives a suggestion.

"Miku would like shout or something. I do know her powers revolved around her voice a lot."

Shiori doesn't get it, but she then begins inhaling air and then she lets out an ear-piercing scream that really isn't anything special, but it could shatter a window. Akane covers her ears and falls backwards from the scream. After a moment, Shiori just blushes with embarrassment. Akane gets back up and casually utters.

"Well that worked for crap."

Shiori turns around and is actually frustrated at Akane as she forcefully asks.

"Why did you make me do that!?"

Shiori fails to notice her fingers strumming the strings of her guitar as it hits a riff that sends a sonic shockwave that tears down some trees and sends Akane flying among them. She lands in the middle of some rubble, in a panic, Shiori runs to it and starts moving the trees she blew over to find Akane while in a panic while screaming.

"I'msosorry I'msosorry I'msosorry I'msosorry I'msosorry I'msosorry I'msosorry!"

She finally finds the red haired girl after a few moments and she seems to have gone into a daze. Shiori then frantically starts shaking her while continuing to go.

"I'msosorry I'msosorry I'msosorry I'msosorry I'msosorry I'msosorry I'msosorry!"

On the other side again, Kurumi is handing Shido a bottle of sunscreen as she undoes her top and Shido can already see where this is going. He then looks at Ellen as a distraction as he takes the bottle, but Kurumi interjects by informing him.

"I already took care of her."

Shido is starting to get flustered and he looks around to see if Tohka or Kotori is watching, the latter is but the former isn't as she is still busy swimming with Aki. He is flustered, and Hiro tells him via communicator.

"Shido, just do it. We all know you want to, and Kurumi is one of the beautiful girls I, and you, know. Don't be a prude."

Kotori, who watches through the water, simply thinks.

" _Come on, Shido, just get it over with."_

Shido takes a breath and just does it without anyone so much as batting an eye. He then feels a bit good that he got to rub Kurumi with sunscreen. He then hears Miyuki calling to him as she leaves the shallow water because she realizes something herself, she also needs sunscreen. Tohka and Aki finish their swimming as they exit the water wanting to get something from the picnic basket for lunch. Tohka sees Shido applying sunscreen to Miyuki and she starts to get a little jealous, Aki sees this and calms her by explaining.

"Tohka, it's just putting sunscreen on. Miyuki would get sunburned if she doesn't have any on. Any parent would do that."

Tohka especially hears that last part as she softly repeats it.

"Any…parent…"

She then runs over to the basket and looks through it, and luckily she finds what she's looking for, and runs back to Aki. She shows him a bottle of sunscreen and says.

"I need to make sure you don't get sunburned, Young Man."

Aki gets a little unsettled as he declines gently.

"I'm good, Tohka, I put some on before we went swimming."

Tohka starts walking towards him with an unnaturally enthusiastic smile as she retorts.

"Nonsense, you need max protection from that violently burning sun."

Aki is more unsettled as he points to Shido and shouts.

"Shido's holding bread!"

Tohka looks with a bit of drool from her mouth and Aki takes this opportunity to run away, and Tohka notices then begins to chase after him as she declares.

"Listen to your mother, Akihiko!"

The two run until they are out of sight. Shiori and Akane return to the area where the others are ready to call it a day with learning about Shiori's powers. Kotori checks on Akane as she is still a bit dizzy from Shiori's shockwave. They simply talk about what Akane has learned from this little incident. They then wake Ellen up, and light a fire to have a barbeque. Shido cooks some hotdogs, hamburgers, and chicken. Tohka catches up Aki while chasing him and tackles him then opens the sunscreen bottle then puts a big gob of it in her hand as Aki prepares himself for a coating of sunscreen.

Later in the day, during the sunset, the others are preparing to leave for the ship, and Aki looks like a ghost because of the excessive amount of sunscreen, but he is completely safe from the sun. Miyuki learned how to swim and even swim to some of the deeper water. The others learned about Shiori's powers, but only a little.

The only two that stay on the beach are Shido and Ellen because he wants to say something to her. When the others are gone, he walks up to her and holds out his hand and tells her.

"How about I give the husbandly attention you need, for just a little while."

Ellen blushes a bit and gladly accepts his offer. They walk on the beach and look over the ocean during the sunset.


	34. Chapter 34

CH. 33 Sadistic Music City

With their day at the beach settled, the group makes their way to Tengu city. Despite stopping mostly for a beach trip, they are here to search for Origami. While Hiro was researching this time, he noticed a recurring theme. Miku is referenced in all forms of media in Tengu city in this time. He was able to link the ship's computer to look up various things on the internet and found various articles, but his research on the other spirits showed almost no results, but he did catch glimpses of them dressed as maid outfits tending to Miku in public shots.

The city itself looks normal, except the every corner and every store has a picture of Miku plastered somewhere. The group is maybe thinking that Miku has become a super idol, but this is suspect when they read that this time if fifty years apart from the base timeline. Despite the massive jump in time, the spirits shown in the pictures look the same. Kotori brings up the notion that maybe Miku has done something in this time that caused the spirits to stay young even after their powers are sealed.

Out of caution, the group only sends Shido, Shiori, and AkI. The others on the ship are going to survey the area as this time gives them an uneasy feeling. The streets look just as fine from the ground and there is something sweet smelling in the air. They walk to the source and look inside a café that is packed with girls. Each of them is surrounding Miku, who is drinking a glass of tea while eating a plate of delicious looking sweets that appear to be the source of the aroma.

There must be an excessive amount of women in this one area. Shido can't help but get an air of familiarity right now, but not in the good way because it makes him remember when he first met her when her school showed up for the festival preparations.

Shiori enters the café to say hello to this world's Miku as she does miss her mother, plus she's anxious to meet a younger version of her mother. Upon entering the café, Shiori is treated rather hostily as the other girls push her out the door. This also reminds Shido of when he tried to get close to Miku at first as well when he dressed as a girl.

Aboard the ship, Akane and Kotori have just made a startling discovery as they have found a game changer for this timeline. Something that disturbs them greatly, as Kotori shouts into the communicator.

"Shido! You and Aki need to get away from that café right now!"

Shido is a bit startled from the loud shouting and he couldn't properly hear what Kotori just shouted as the communicator goes static for a minute.

Miku exits the café and tells the other girls to back off as she apologizes to Shiori for their rudeness.

"I'm so sorry about that. My friends and followers tend to get carried away."

Miku is wearing her astral dress in public, and she suddenly puts her palm between Shiori's legs, much to her chagrin, with a slight look of distrust. Shiori becomes flustered and pushes Miku's hand aside while squealing.

"What are you doing!?"

Miku waves her hand with a blush and a smile as she apologizes yet again.

"I'm very sorry; I thought you were somebody else. But now that my confusion is out of the way, why don't we get someone as enchanting as you into something more comfortable."

Shiori shakes her head and replies while slightly lifting her skirt just a little and replies.

"This outfit was a birthday present from my mother, and I very much enjoy wearing it."

Miku inspects the dress and compliments it.

"I must say it is a stylish outfit. Your mother has good taste indeed. But I want to see you in more "comfortable clothes"."

Miku comes closer and tells Shiori.

"Take off your clothes."

Miku is trying use her powers, but Shiori becomes flustered as backs away while shaking her head.

"I won't do that."

Miku is a little surprised. She then asks.

"What is your name?"

Before Shiori can respond, the women from the café spot Shido and Aki as they point and shout.

"Men!"

Miku turns her head and notices the two as she becomes shocked and at the same time infuriated as she asks with anger in her eyes.

"How did you filthy men escape the camp!?"

Shido and Aki point themselves and Shido gets it. He grabs Aki by the arm and tells him.

"We need get out of here now!"

Aki doesn't get it, but he doesn't argue with it. The two begin to run away with a mob of women chasing them. Miku appears angered as she is thinking to herself. Shiori asks Miku.

"What do you mean by "the camp"?"

Miku smiles at seeing Shiori's cuteness as she replies.

"You don't know? I guess it has been over thirty years since I cleaned this city. I took all those dirty men, and I threw them into a camp under the city. Then I turned this city into an all women's' wonderland."

Shiori gets mad at this point and says.

"That's horrible. Why would you do anything like that? Men are just a good as women."

Miku shakes her head and explains.

"Men are disgusting. They lie, they're shallow, and they use us for our bodies and throw us away when our beauty fades. So I got rid of them all."

Shiori slaps Miku and angrily rebukes.

"My daddy is nothing like you described. He's never lied to me, he loves my mom, and he's always there to comfort her. Not because she's beautiful, but because that's who he is."

Miku is a little shocked by the sudden slap, but smiles as she gives a flirtatious smile and says.

"Oh, I like a challenge. Your more my type than I thought."

Shiori points at Miku and declares.

"You're nothing like my sweet mother. I reject you!"

Miku's eyes widen a little as she seems to remember a similar conversation. She then spots a nearby flowerpot with roses growing in it, plucks it, and hands it to Shiori. She then asks.

"Oh, and what would you do if I forced to be mine?"

Shiori gives a serious look and answers.

"I'd do everything I could to push you away from me. No matter how much it would hurt."

Shido and Aki manage to hide in a dumpster nearby and have temporarily eluded the women. Inside the dumpster, Aki asks Shido what's going on, and he explains.

"Miku, or at least the ones we know, used to have a big issue with men. Something happened in her past and she became sour on humans, especially men. She used to hate them more than anything, and I guess this world's Shido failed. I guess…."

Aki is probably thinking the same thing as Shido, and then he realizes.

"What about Shiori? We just abandoned her out there!"

Shido shakes his head and adds.

"She's better off not being affiliated with us right now. Miku won't do anything to hurt her, she'll probably make her very uncomfortable, but not hurt her."

Shido pokes his eyes out of the dumpster to see what's going on, and the women are gone, but he decides that they should stay in this dumpster until they can make contact with the ship again.

Miku is still talking with Shiori as Miku sniffs her rose and makes a proposal to her newly sighted target.

"I want you to understand that it is rare for any women to reject me. However, this makes you all the more desirable to me. I know you're a spirit if you can resist."

Shiori rejects the notion, but can't deny it either, so she doesn't say anything. Miku simply continues.

"But the other spirits in my collection are not immune, so this makes you a rarer treasure. So I'll make you a deal. I'll play a game by your rules. Defeat me, and I'll grant you one wish within reason. You can make me be your slave, you can have all the money you desire, or you can even become the new ruler of this city. But if you lose to me…well."

Miku gets closer to Shiori and puts her fingers to her chin and declares.

"Then you become a permanent part of my collection."

Miku raises her hand and snaps her fingers and immediately all of the other spirits show up in maid uniforms much to Shiori's dismay. Miku then offers.

"You may also use any of these ladies to assist you whatever game you choose."

Shiori isn't prepared to back down from a challenge if it means that she can stop Miku. She nods and submits her game idea.

"Fine, I want us to do a performance contest. Best two out of three, and the winner will be decided by both men and women."

Miku's eyes close more as she replies.

"Forget the men. They'll have no part in our contest. Besides, you shouldn't challenge me to a singing contest."

Shiori shakes her head and rebukes.

"Only someone who doesn't love music would say that. If that's the case, then you're not an idol at all. You're a simply a singer without a soul."

Miku's eyes widen as she grips her rose and replies.

"Don't insult my music. Who do think you are saying such a thing."

Shiori points at Miku and declares.

"Then let the men help decide our contest. If you don't accept my terms, then I won't even consider singing for anyone, let alone you."

Miku finally caves and suggests.

"Fine, but the men won't leave the camp. I'll have them vote electronically and they'll watch through a television."

Shiori agrees to the term, and says.

"Our contest will be three days, at Tengu Stadium."

Miku smiles and replies.

"Great location, and three days waiting will be fine. You're welcome to stay with me in the mean time."

Shiori shakes her head and says.

"I'm fine where I am thank you."

Shiori walks away as Miku watches her. Miku then reenters the café with the spirits as she is anxious to win in three days.

Shiori walks away in a cold sweat as she feels as if she's walked into a mine field. Aki and Shido exit the dumpster and look around before trying anything else. The smell of dumpster was too unbearable to stay in for too long. They catch up with Shiori, and they are suddenly teleported back to the Bifrost with Kotori and Tohka sighing with relief. They were worried after communications got lost. They then show Shido what was freaking Kotori out; footage of the underground camp. The men down there are slaves in the worst ways possible. They grow the crops in artificial climates, sew clothes and shoes according to designer specifications and are whipped mercilessly if they mess up, and some of them are kept in farms for the women who want children, and the children aren't exempt from this treatment either. Shido, Aki, and Shiori are mortified by this sight.

Shiori then explains to everyone about her challenge in three days against Miku. This gets everyone worried as Miku is more than likely to cheat. Akane also brings up that anyone who doesn't have Shido's blood in them is liable to become victim to Miku's power. Shido then assures everyone.

"But Shiori here is Miku's daughter. One that grew up in a happier environment, and is a very talented singer."

Hiro then points out.

"But that won't do much good against Miku's powers."

Shido shakes his head and adds.

"Then we'll support her in any way we can."

Shido gathers Aki and Hiro together as they will have to do something embarrassing. The plan is this, the three boys will dress as girls while Akane and Miyuki come with them and serve as Shiori's instrument players so that they won't fall under Miku's brainwashing. The others are to remain on the ship wearing earplugs to block out Miku's voice as they remember what happened last time. But Shiori is nervous about facing her own mother in such a contest as she shudders at the thought.


	35. Chapter 35

CH. 34 The Dress Rehearsal

The party is aboard the Bifrost helping Shiori for the challenge in three days. She is currently reviewing what three songs to go with for it and the boys are preparing their outfits for their disguises. Shido would go, but they can't risk Miku recognizing him since it was clear she recognized Shiori's resemblance to his female guise.

Currently, Aki is being dressed by Tohka. They've obtained wigs from breaking into a store below, and grabbed a crate of assorted clothes from another shop. They had to be quick about it and they've even dyed a wig using stuff on the ship and made fake bras with some silicon and help from the girls, good thing the ship has a heater. Tohka has dressed up Aki in a simple outfit with a purple buttoned down short-sleeved shirt with a rose on the back, a knee-length frilled lavender skirt and a wig which is similar to her hair when she tried to pass off as a boy, but with a cream colored ribbon tied into a bow. Tohka is taking great joy in this as her son seems to be enjoying himself. She then has him walk like a girl which he does in the most stereotypical way with exaggerated hip swings. Tohka then tells him to pull back a little.

Hiro is being helped by Shido. He's just finishing up dressing up and emerges from the closet wearing a ball dress with red lipstick and a wig which covers his now red eye. Shido is mortified by this as Hiro's body, unlike Shido's and Aki's, is chiseled and covered in scars on his arms. Shido, despite his horrified expression, tells Hiro.

"Okay…let's hear your girl voice."

Hiro gets his throat ready, and in the most screechy female voice, he says.

"All I brought under my skirt is more punch, Big Boy, is it alright if I brought that through?"

Shido is just horrified and says under his breath.

"That was the most disturbing thing I've ever heard."

Kurumi and Ellen walk up and pull Hiro behind a curtain that they set up and help out with his disguise. They don't have voice changers and don't have time to learn how to make them. Aki's female voice is passable as he does sound like a girl enough to pass it off. Kurumi and Ellen then present Hiro in a long-sleeved white shirt to cover his scars, a pair of blue pants with full-leg white chaps to cover his legs, cowgirl boots, and put Makeup on his face to hide his more gruff appearance. They also tell him to not talk under any circumstances. His outfit is even more convincing than Aki's.

Kotori gets the two boys up to training to respond as she tells the two of them.

"Okay, your names are Akihime, and Hiroko. So repeat after me, and tell your names. Except you, Hiroko you're mute."

Hiro nods as their training begins with Kotori training their responses.

While Aki and Hiro are practicing, Shido decides to check on Shiori, who is in her room aboard the ship. He plans to help her with her choices, but when enters the room, he hears sobbing a little. Shiori is holding her guitar as she strums it lightly. Out of concern, Shido approaches her and sits down next to her and asks.

"Hey, what's wrong, Shiori."

Shiori looks at Shido and replies with a tear in her eye.

"She was so mean, Shido. How can that selfish person be my mother?"

Shido starts rubbing Shiori's head and explains to her.

"She just doesn't understand how you feel about others. Remember that she was hurt once, it hurt so bad that she just became bitter. But you had a bad experience, but you didn't become sour."

Shiori sniffles a little and tells Shido.

"But singing should make a person sweeter. I love singing for the smiles. I loved it most of all when my parents smiled and cheered for me. Then my brothers came along and clapped with them. It was the greatest thing in the world."

Shido smiles and suggests.

"Then prove her wrong. Prove what your style is like. I'll watch and I'll clap for you just like your dad."

Shiori smiles and nods as the two listen through some of her music to help decide.

In her mansion, Miku is plucking the petals off a rose as she is remembering her time in high school when she encountered Shido in his female guise, and the day she discovered his deception. She managed to have him executed in secret. She even convinced the Spirits that he's simply away. Killing Shido even seemed to have a profound effect on Miku. Somehow, she became stronger, so strong that even Kurumi and Ellen fell under her spell. With her new power, she crushed D.E.M, and had all the men executed. However, Ellen died years ago from the power in her body.

Miku is frustrated as something is nagging on her mind.

" _Why can't I shake this feeling? I feel like I should know that girl….When I win our little game, I'll have to the find my answer personally."_

Miku awaits her meal being prepared by her collection as she looks forward to the next three days passing by.

Back aboard the ship, Aki and Hiro, or Akihime and Hiroko, are practicing with the instruments they've been assigned. Tohka wants to play the drums, but the role of drummer is Hiro due to his fast movements, and Aki has been assigned to play rhythm guitar, Miyuki is on tambourine, and Akane is bass. The Spirit children are on their own in this case as they should be immune to Miku's power like their father, but Shido can't go out of worry of being recognized. Instead, he will simply stay aboard the ship. Tohka is rather upset at not being allowed to play the drums, but Shido promises her a date when this is over.

Shiori is currently practicing with her makeshift band to learn one of her songs chosen for the contest. It isn't easy to catch up with Shiori's rhythm. Shiori has only decided on one song for the moment. A song she wrote with Hibiki when they started out called "Cyan Rose". The rehearsal finally begins to make an impact as they start getting more and more.

Shido decides to go into the kitchen to make the other group members a snack for their hard work. Tohka follows him and asks him for a favor. While he's making some rice, she asks.

"Shido, can make Aki's myself?"

Shido moves over as he lets Tohka make Aki's snack. Clearly she wants to do more for Aki. The two work next to each other as Shido makes little meals based on what he knows they like. Tohka wears an apron with her sleeves rolled up as she chops meats and vegetables. Shido looks at her and is somewhat reminded of the adult Tohka he met in Aki's timeline and smiles a bit.

While taking a break, Shiori talks with Hiro, who has a suggestion for her. He asks her out assurance.

"You haven't decided on all three songs yet, have you?"

Shiori shakes her head and answers.

"I haven't even decided on the second song yet."

Hiro takes a piece of paper and begins writing on it. He puts music notes and lyrics on it. He shows it to Shiori and she begins humming the notes and looking at the lyrics. She finishes it and compliments.

"Wow, this is a beautiful song. Did you write this song, Hiro?"

Hiro shakes his head and explains.

"No, the Miku of my time did. She wrote this…in memory of Tohka and Yuzuru."

Shiori looks at Hiro with shock as she didn't know about that. He goes into the origin of this song.

"When we planned a memorial in memory of them, Miku was very distraught to the point she didn't want to go. Instead, she wrote this song as a way for us to cope with the loss. She calls it "Blade on the Wind"."

Shiori looks at the sheet and decides to save this song for last. She is unsure of singing it at all in fact. Aki and Akane listen to some MP3s that Shiori downloaded of her own music to hopefully find a song they can play that sounds good. They then come across a rather somber song that they like and it's called "Starduster", a love song. They bring it up to Shiori, who explains to origin of this particular song.

"I wrote this song when I and Hibiki got into an argument when I started out. I sang it on stage, and she knew who I was talking about. These lyrics are about what I think is the most precious thing the world, pure untainted unconditional love."

Aki then gets an idea.

"Shiori, why don't you use this to beat Miku? She obviously will sing some energetic pop songs. So I think we should go with whatever you feel in your heart about music."

Shiori looks to the ceiling and smiles as she tells her fellow Spirit Children about her feelings on music.

"Music is more than just singing and dancing. It's about personal vision, feelings, and telling the world what you stand for. To me, that's what music is."

The group then starts gathering the instruments to play and try to play the song in question. They have already decided on two songs and they have three days to practice and decide a third song.

On the bridge, Kotori and Mana are reviewing what they should do. They know beyond a doubt that Miku will not play fair when she notices Shiori's skills. They can't attack the stage because only Shido is immune to Miku's power who isn't going to be there in person, Hiro may even attack anyone who will want to harm Miku. They'll just have to put faith in the Spirit Children.

In the city, someone smiles in shadows as they say.

"A contest in three days, huh? I guess Miku will have to expect a gate crasher."


	36. Chapter 36

CH. 35 Music Festival

The group has spent their three days practicing for the musical showdown between Miku and Shiori. Miku has at least kept her word on the men being involved from the underground camp. She had them install a massive screen in their living quarters with a voting mechanism for each one of them. Shiori has decided on her three songs, Cyan Rose, Starduster, and Lunar Crescent. The only ones going to the concert in person is the Spirit Children and no one else. The group doesn't want to risk Shido being recognized, and they can't predict how powerful Miku has become.

The ship crew will watch through the monitor with the screen muted and wearing ear plugs for an added caution and they have taken out their communicators, except for Shido, but he can't help very much due to everyone else wearing earplugs. The band leaves for the stadium, but two boys have a risk of being discovered. Without proper technology, they can't be helped due to the ship not getting feedback from below.

As they walk the rest of the way to the stadium, Akane walks up to Shiori and asks out of concern.

"Are you sure you can do this?"

Shiori takes a deep breath and nods without saying anything. Akane is especially worried as they have no countermeasures for Miku cheating during the competition. Shiori's heart isn't quite in it as she doesn't feel like she's going to do a fun show, but just a competition. Aki and Hiro are simply walking through the motion. Miyuki, on the other hand, simply looks excited as she gleefully walks with her older half siblings and hums a happy tune. Shiori notices this, and asks the younger girl with a genuine smile.

"What are you so happy about?"

Miyuki hasn't realized that she is humming and comes back as she blushes a little and answers without Yoshinon interfering.

"I had so much fun playing the tambourine with Yoshinon, and I get to do it with tons of people watching us."

The others are surprised to hear Miyuki being excited about performing in front of a crowd as they were certain that she would have some stage fright. Shiori pats Miyuki's head and replies.

"I had fun playing too. I really want today to be fun."

Yoshinon rises up and announces.

"When Yoshinon is near, excitement will appear!"

Miyuki and Yoshinon both appear to have great enthusiasm which rejuvenates Shiori's performing spirit. Shiori recalls a concert she once did with her mother as a special show. It was when Shiori was starting out and she got nervous because Hibiki had to back out of performing with her and take management. Miku came to cheer her on, and ended up performing with her daughter. Shiori and Miku smiled together as they sang in front of a huge cheering crowd and that gave Shiori the greatest feeling she's ever known, but now she feels a little sad. She has to face a crueler version of her mother. Hiro would say something, but he can't risk any of the women in the city hearing him as there could be some people listening to them.

Now approaching the stadium, the group can hear a crowed of roaring women with an MC announcing that the concert will start within an hour, but that Miku is more than ready to give a fantastic show. Shiori is carrying a duffle bag with her costume in it and her own special mic. They are nervous, except for Miyuki, who doesn't seem to know what is going on, but ready to defeat Miku by some way.

They get inside without any trouble as the guards are welcoming of Miku's interested prospect. They even get a private dressing room where Shiori changes into her stage outfit, with the boys having their eyes turned away. Plus, some confections from Miku's personal chef, who is this world's Tohka.

Miku is in her own dressing room with her Astral Dress on with the Spirits watching her as she smiles while looking at outfits she plans to have Shiori wear when she loses. Miku even brings up a more disturbing notion when she says.

"I think maybe I'll have her be my companion for the night."

Shiori looks in the mirror and gets ready for the show she really doesn't want to do. But she takes a deep breath and puts on a smile while her friends get some confections from their tray. As Shiori puts on her fake smile, she sees her mother in the mirror with an assuring smile on her face. Shiori turns around hopping to see her, but nothing is there.

Aboard the ship while the concert is ready to begin, Shido says in quiet tone.

"Good luck, Shiori. Show her how wrong she is."

Shido would like to be involved with this, but the danger is just too great. Miku is already sure about Shiori's gender, so she's relatively safe for the moment.

Outside in the skies, a portal opens up as a figure emerges from it, just a single person. They look below and see the city with a clear objective in mind.

Inside the stadium, the two groups are ready for their competition as they meet each other before entering the stage. Shiori is putting on her best smile, while Miku gives a more flirtatious smile as her face clearly says "I have such plans for you". It also doesn't help that she starts looking at the others, completely ignorant to the two boys in disguise. Shiori, still maintaining her smile, plainly tells Miku.

"Please leave them out of this."

Miku returns her gaze to Shiori and replies in an equally straight tone.

"When I win, you won't really have any say in the matter."

Aki and Akane suddenly get a cold sweat, Hiro maintains his composure, and Miyuki is just playing with the tambourine she practiced with.

The stage is in a very cheery mood as they begin cheering profusely as their beloved idol Miku makes her way to the stage. Despite the crowd not changing volume when the Spirit Children make their way, they know that Miku is the focus of their cheering. Miku waves to her beloved "fans", but Shiori is simply disappointed that Miku has to resort to using her powers. Miku then explains the voting system to the crowd before the show starts. She does this in a very energetic manner.

"Here's how it works, ladies…and men….me and attractive rival will each sing three songs each. When we both sing, you will all press a button on the remotes in front of all your seats. Yellow is for me, and blue is for Shiori. The votes will be tallied in percents. With all that said, let's start this showdown!"

The crowed naturally begins cheering loudly as Miku takes the first song with a band of her own with Tohka as her guitarist and the others being somewhat professional performers. The song is happy, energetic, and full of energy. The crowd adores it as Miku sings dances. Shiori notices that her song, while happy and energetic, is rather empty, like Miku is just doing the same thing over and over again. Sure, she's smiling, but it feels forced. Miku ends her song, and the crowd's clapping can be heard in a grand scale as it feels like they are getting all of their cheering out.

Miku waves to the crowd as she walks backstage and smiles as she passes by Shiori, who realizes that this is going to be harder than she thought as the others are ready to give it their best. Shiori gets her mic ready along with her guitar and the others get into position with their instruments. They get ready to play the song they decided they should play first Lunar Crescent. The song is similar to Miku's, full of energy and happy, but Shiori is more full of genuine care. Her performance catches a little attention from Miku as she lightly taps her foot at the singing and dancing just a little. After some time, the song is over and the crowd cheers a bit, but not nearly as much as Miku. Miku casually walks out to the stage to check the tallies, but is a little shocked when she sees the results. Much to her chagrin, she only has 79% of the overall votes. This causes her to bite her nail as she had high expectations for 100%. However, she blames the men in the underground camp for this.

She is tempted to not let the men vote this time, but still goes with it as she did win this round. They take a short break to get prepped for the next song and get some water. Shiori doesn't want to admit it, but she knows that Miku cheated by using her powers during the first round as she wouldn't be irked unless something didn't go according to plan. Aki approaches her from behind and suggests.

"Shiori, maybe you should use your powers to give ourselves a better edge."

Shiori is about to say something to disagree, but Akane reinforces this by telling her.

"Cheating isn't cool, but we've got little choices outside of violence in this case."

Hiro clenches his fist at the thought, but Akane looks at him immediately tells him.

"Hiro, we can't make mistakes here. Miku has the city under her thumb. We have to stop her. But I won't let anybody kill her. That is something I won't forgive."

Hiro lowers his hand but still has visible discontent. Shiori realizes that she needs to use her powers to aide in their victory. To this end, she assumes her Spirit form and equips her electric guitar and readies for the next song.

Miku's next song is similar to her last, but a little more somber and with a gentler beat. Again, the crowd is in an uproar of cheer for Miku. She goes back to behind to let Shiori go on, and compliments her Astral dress.

"That's a very pretty dress by the way."

The next song they plan to sing is Cyan Rose. They start the song like they did before, but Shiori is feeling more uncomfortable as she feels like a legitimate cheater. This causes her distress as she begins making mistakes and hitting the wrong notes. Naturally, this causes the crowd to boo at her. She misses the great feeling her performances gave her before she came here. Even though she has only done two songs so far, it feels horrible to even think of cheating. Shiori then begins remembering her performances with her mother, the times she saw her clapping, and just in general the good times they've shared together.

After some more sour notes, Shiori's body begins to glow a little, and then two things emerge from Shiori's back and begin to form into two dancing silhouettes and then they take full forms that appear like Miku but wearing unique outfits consisting yellow robe-like dresses tied to their bodies by indigo laces to keep the robes in place as the two dance. Akane stops playing for a second as she notices the two are clearly guardians, but not just one like her and Aki or Saori. Shiori suddenly feels a jolt of warmth as she suddenly plays a lot better and the two dancers are even providing backup vocals that sound exactly like Miku singing herself. Miku and the crowd are shocked beyond belief as two Mikus' are on the stage now. The song then begins playing out a lot better. When it ends, the crowd is standing and cheering loudly as the votes immediately come in with Shiori taking 82% of the votes. This causes Miku to become nervous for many reasons. Moreover, she believes Shiori to be some kind of mimic.

She wants to scold Shiori, but instead decides to up the ante herself. She smiles and approaches Shiori's band mates individually, and asks them to come with her using Tohka and Kotori as her personal escorts. This gets Aki and Hiro to go with them out of concern, Akane follows them to keep an eye on them, and Miyuki is bribed with the promise of sweets. The two new guardians both hug Shiori from the back on each shoulder. They won't listen to anyone at all, and Miku wants to ask about them, but waits for her answers as she plots to win by underhanded means.

Miku has the four other Spirit Children in her dressing room with a rack of maid outfits ready with a smile as she commands.

"Put these on."

The four look at the dresses and in this order, Hiro shakes his head, Aki replies

"No way, I don't like lacy stuff."

Akane simply answers.

"Not a chance in hell."

Yoshinon answers for Miyuki.

"Miyuki is too cute for that frilly thing."

Miku tries this again, but gets a relatively similar response. She is now officially feeling like she's having a weird week as she now has four people who won't obey her commands. She then opts for the next idea, she exits the room and has the door sealed shut as the others attempt to break out without giving up their guise even though it is mostly blown.

Minutes later, Miku is performing her third song, and Shiori is lost without her friends, but her two guardians are still materialized, so she asks them.

"Can either of you play an instrument?"

The two guardians look at each other and then look at Shiori again and nod as one of them plays an air piano which produces actual noise and the other plays an air guitar that also produces noise. Shiori thinks that would freak people out, but she can just give them actual instruments before going on. She explains her next song to them while Miku is performing.

The crew aboard the ship is ignorant to the dilemma behind the stage, but is shocked at Shiori's double guardians. Shido has his own theory on why this is but isn't a hundred percent sure on this. Ellen realizes that if Miku gets violent, they may need backup, so she grabs Mana and asks for a favor.

The Spirit Children are thinking of a way out as Aki and Hiro are banging against the door, but it is sealed and won't go down. Akane could just burn it away, but that would give away their powers further. Miku can't know about their full powers unless it's an absolute emergency. They at least have a TV in this room to watch the remainder of the concert.

Shiori is ready to go on as she has her next song ready. The song is purely Shiori singing with her guardians play the instruments. Her song is very mellowing, calming, and overall sad since this song is about love being lost in the dark. She sings the song very well and the crowd cheers very fairly this time. Shiori's song even gets some of the audience crying. Miku herself is a little emotional to the song and is impressed with Shiori's singing, but is a little disturbed over her doppelgangers.

When the scores come in, the two singers are a little nervous and the final results are….50% for both. Both singers earn the same score for a tie. Miku takes the mic and makes her announcement.

"I'm afraid since this is a tie, there can only be one solution. We must do one more song each and break this tie. What do you all say?"

The crowd begins cheering loudly as they love the show. Miku then has one last trick up her sleeve as orders for the feed in the men's camp to be cut so that they can't vote anymore. They also call for a ten minute break to prepare another song each, and Shiori doesn't know what to pick since she has so many to choose from. She goes to her dressing room, and her follow her as she thinks thoroughly of her next song.

The others aren't having much luck breaking out either. Miyuki is simply playing with her tambourine still. Shiori then has a bright idea as begins to quickly remember something.

The next round begins, and Miku sings a classic song, the one she sang years ago at the school festival and beat Shido. Like before, it is amazing and the crowd continues with their profuse cheering. Shiori takes a deep breath as she actually decides to give a little speech before singing her song. She gently holds her mic and says to the crowd.

"In the world of music, there is something that I believe very strongly. When someone writes a song from the heart, they understand the lyrics better than anyone could. Today, I will sing a song that was written by somebody who lost someone close to them, and understood the feelings of those around her. She knew how painful this loss was, and wrote this song to help them and herself cope with it. I cannot fully understand the lyrics myself, but I have experienced loss. To be more appropriate, I have made changes to the lyrics to show my understanding. I call my take Ali Del Ricordo"

Shiori decides to let her guardians simply watch as she sits at a keyboard and sets it to a regular piano setting. She begins playing a very sweet melody; this instantly gets Hiro's attention from the dressing room as he watches the TV. Shiori then begins singing in Italian in a very soothing, sad, and heartwarming manner. The lyrics cannot be understood by the majority of the crowd, but the message is clear. The song is so personal to Shiori that she is the only one can truly understand and read the lyrics. Hiro remembers the day when he heard Miku sing the original song. The day that they put his Tohka and Yuzuru to their final resting place; he remembers that Miku cried for the majority of the song as she deeply cared for them as her friends.

Shiori is doing the same, and the crowd can't help but be moved by the sweet song, and Miku herself is moved by the song. Shiori ends the song as she bows and the crowd remains silent and then begins their clapping. Miku joins the stage, and Shiori has gained 68% of the votes making her the winner. Miku applauds Shiori's song as she was moved. Shiori appreciates the sentiment, but has to bring up in a somber tone.

"I won our contest, so I get one wish, right?"

Miku nods and asks.

"What do you want?"

Shiori plainly requests.

"I want you to let the men out of that horrible camp, and stop with the brainwashing. Start over with a clean start, and sing for the smiles."

Miku clenches a little, but puts on a mischievous smile as she replies.

"No, ask for something else."

Shiori shakes her head and tells her.

"You said that…"

Miku interrupts by adding.

"I said "within reason" and I find that isn't within reason."

Shiori continues to argue by bringing up.

"Why are being so stubborn? Men aren't the beasts you make them out to be. Men are wonderful. There can be women who are worse than tons of men."

Miku simply approaches Shiori while explaining.

"You don't know anything. Humans are all bad, especially men. You are just a little ignorant, but that's okay. I can reeducate you and make you see my way."

Shiori backs up a little and reinforces.

"I won, so you have to do what I want."

Miku snaps her finger and asks.

"And what do you want? You can pick any dress from my wardrobe, then we'll eat anywhere you'd like, and then you can pick which sheets will go on our bed for the night."

Shiori is officially disturbed.

The Spirit Children see this on the TV and decide that enough is enough as Aki and Akane assume their Spirit forms, Hiro equips his arms and legs with armor, and Miyuki still plays her tambourine.

In the skies, Ellen flies to the stadium with ALEXANDER equipped with her services needed in a little bit.

Miku snaps her fingers again and Shiori is surrounded by the Spirits under Miku's control as they assume only partial forms with their angels summoned. Miku smiles more mischievously as she says.

"We can do this the easy way, or the hard way."

Shiori's guardians rejoin her as she prepares to defend herself despite not having command over any attacks at the moment. Luckily, the others show up in time and Miku immediately notices Aki and Hiro's wigless heads and sees their men as she freaks out a bit as commands the Spirits to attack them while Akane shows up and manages to put up a blue flame wall as she joins her friends. Aki is ready to fight with his sword as he asks.

"Is anyone else really uncomfortable about doing this?"

He is uncomfortable about fighting the Spirits, but knows it needs to be done. Akane nods and says.

"Yeah, this really isn't right."

Hiro doesn't respond. Instead, he puts away his dual blades and sits on the ground and answers.

"I'm not doing anything. I won't the Spirits."

Miku grits her teeth as she is very unhappy that men are in her city again as she suddenly lets out a ultra sonic shout which Akane and Aki dodge by jumping, but Hiro takes the full force which takes off his female clothes. He blown to the end of the stage and he assumes his sitting again. The fight is going to be difficult as it is incredibly uneven. Someone smiles in the shadows, the figure from earlier is on their way to the stadium, and Ellen is almost there.


	37. Chapter 37

Ch. 36 Machine

 **Base Timeline**

Isaac is in his office alone as he wonders more about the Spirit Children he's heard about from Shinra and the encounter Ellen mentioned. Moreover, he wonders about something that has been nagging on his mind.

"Hmm….I wonder if….."

 **Miku Timeline2**

The fight with Miku's controlled Spirits isn't going very well as Aki and Akane are the only ones fighting at the moment with Shiori fending off Yoshino and Yamai twins. Aki is clashing with Tohka as their swords are making sparks at clashing with each other. Akane is fighting off both Kurumi and Kotori. Luckily, neither can really use their full abilities. Miku simply watches with a smile as she intends to have the boys executed. However, Hiro is still sitting on the ground as he refuses to be involved with this fight. Miku even tries another sonic blast at him with killing intent, but he withstands it as his head begins bleeding from the constant impacts as he refuses to move.

Akane turns to him and shouts.

"Hiro, if you don't do anything, she'll kill you!"

Hiro sits perfectly still and answers.

"Then so be it. I won't fight the Spirits."

Miku is annoyed by his stubbornness, and so is Akane. The fight takes a bad turn when Tohka knocks Aki away and his forced to summon Valor, who hands his slimmer sword and he is forced to attack with more force. Akane is ready to summon her guardian as she is having trouble fending off both her mom and Kurumi despite their weakened states.

From the airship, the party is trying to find ways to avoid being put under Miku's spell, but Kurumi has a rather obvious plan as she simply equips her Astral Dress and leaves rather quickly. Kotori and Tohka can't access their full powers either as Kotori can't risk losing control around innocent civilians. Plus, Tohka can only access a portion of her powers at the moment.

Ellen and Kurumi are on their way. As the fighting reaches in peak, clapping can be heard from somewhere and the fighting ceases. The clapping is so loud that it causes the whole audience to hear it. Someone with a smile comes to the stage with their clapping ringing in everyone's ears. It is a person wearing a jet-black suit with red and black gloves. They have dark ash blonde hair that reaches their back and they have a slim figure. Their eyes are violet and speak in a slightly effeminate voice as they say.

"Very nice very nice, but I'm afraid in their weakened states, these spirits simply won't make the cut for me."

Miku looks at this person with confusion and asks.

"Are you another man?"

The new person puts on a thinking expression with their index finger pressed against their cheek as they answer.

"What a strange little question that is. I suppose it doesn't really matter. I am sometimes called the director's son, but then again, that was six years ago."

Hiro recognizes this person's features, and so does Akane to a lesser extent. Hiro growls under his breath as he utters.

"Westcott…."

The young man hears Hiro and responds to his utter.

"You called my name? But how would you know my name?"

Akane directly asks.

"Are you related to Isaac Westcott?"

This young man raises his finger and answers in a rather eccentric tone.

"Ding ding! We have a winner. I am indeed a blood relative of Isaac Westcott….oh wait, you never said the word blood, spoiler alert. Name's Yushin, Yushin Westcott."

Akane has a surprised look as she cries out.

"What the crap! Westcott has a son!? Then again..."

Yushin has "duh" look on his face as he retorts.

"Well, he does have functioning genitals, I think. So yeah, he made nyan nyan with a woman, and made me. Of course, I have no idea why; I prefer to think of myself as the big bad mistake he made for many reasons."

Hiro immediately rises with his dual blades in hand as he has a look of killing intent on his face as his whole equips to his entire body in an instant as he disappears in the blink of an eye and reappears behind the young man Yushin with his dual blades making a slashing noise as looks behind expecting Yushin to fall to pieces. Instead, his suit simply gets a few cuts and a mark on his nose. He checks the blood on his nose with his thumb and middle and finger and simply says.

"Wow, you actually nicked my nose."

Yushin starts clapping as he proclaims.

"And you aren't even a Spirit too. This is just too cool."

Hiro gets enraged and asks in a demanding tone.

"So you're experimenting on Spirits like your madman father!?"

Yushin simply waves his hand in a nonchalant manner and answers.

"No no no, that was boring, non-progressive, and generally weak compared my Spirit research. In fact….I have an example to show you in 3…2….1"

A series of slashes can be heard outside as someone slices through the doorway and an entire portion of the stadium causing many casualties as a wizard-looking woman shows up, but her appearance is vastly different. She is wearing a torso-covering black and purple wiresuit with a dark purple vizor covering her face and she has dark plum short hair with a jagged dark sword with dark lines running across it. It also doesn't have a realizer, just these two dark purple energy wings that resemble an ornate stained glass. She casually floats to Yushin, who simply says.

"This is from my Spirit research. Pretty cool huh? But, she is a prototype, so no real promises on this."

The woman may appear like a wizard, but is emitting the mana of a spirit, but darker as her energy is negative. While Yushin is adoring this new Spirit-like woman, Miku is upset that another man has touched her stage. She prepares to attack Yushin, only for him to look at her and tells her.

"I wouldn't do that if I were you, then again, I'm not, so knock yourself out."

Miku lets out another sonic attack only for Yushin to shake his head and his prototype spins her sword while standing in front of him and dissipates the attack. Yushin also points out.

"Your power won't affect either of us for the record. I'm immune, and my friend here is programmed to obey me."

Aki looks at this woman and can't help but ask.

"What is she exactly?"

Yushin starts clapping again as he laughs a little and answers.

"I was waiting for someone to ask me that!"

He then explains just a little.

"She's an artificial Spirit created by my research and some help from my certain benefactor of mine."

Everyone's eyes widen at that explanation. Yushin snickers a little as he says.

"My father had no imagination. Why obsess over a few Spirits when we could simply make our own. Wizards are so boring, a little technology here, a little there, and a dash military crap to make a silly wizard who's really useless without their toys. Artifical Spirits on the other hand are so much more practical foot soldiers. Now, I'll prove it."

Yushin snaps his fingers as he commands his prototype to attack everyone. It immediately targets Miku first, but Hiro manages to pick her up and get her out of the way as the movements of this artificial Spirit are fast and the air around her sword distorts with every swing. Her movements are swift and make afterimages making her movements confusing, and she vision is sharp as she emits a dark aura.

Miku pushes Hiro aside and yells at him.

"Don't touch me!"

Hiro doesn't argue with her despite she gives him a look of contempt for simply being a man. Simply tells her.

"You have to get out of here. If anyone related to Westcott is here, then nothing good is coming."

Miku still looks angry as she scoffs a little and moves closer to the stage with the intent to finish this herself. She walks off to Yushin as he orders his prototype nicknamed SANdAlpHoN-01. She immediately engages to weakened controlled Spirits as she shatters their weapons, and then knocks them away. Aki and Akane are caught up in this assault as they are both knocked away.

Aboard the ship, the others are getting a bad reading from the Prototype as they want to give backup to the others, but seeing how powerful this woman is they may just need to get the others out of there and retreat, but Shido argues.

"We can't just leave them there like that."

Mana disputes by telling her brother.

"Shido, I get that you care about those girls, but we can't afford to get your kids killed in there. Ellen is on her way, and she won't be able to hear us even if we used the loudspeakers."

Kotori looks at Mana with a look of wonder and asks.

"How do you figure?"

Ellen flies through the hole the prototype created and looks around as she can't hear a thing. Earlier, she asked Mana to puncture her eardrums so that she would be rendered deaf. Ellen knew that Miku intended to cheat. She has to rely on sight and she sees the prototype knock Aki and Akane around as they are trying to fight it since the Spirit's weapons have been destroyed. Hiro is ready for another round in spite of being hit multiple times from Miku's sonic attack and Ellen is joining the fray, but she doesn't notice Yushin at all as he is watches his prototype in action as he says to himself.

"Much better than my bastard father's Adeptus whatever number; this is better use of DEM's resources. Hmm(notices Ellen) speak of the devil, and she shall appear."

Yushin raises his hand as electricity crackles from it, but he lowers it and says.

"Nope, this is her time to shine, not mine."

Miku watches the violence unfold as is intending to watch the men kill each and not interfere. Shiori is away from the violence as she witnesses the fighting unfold. She realizes that Miyuki isn't here and that she has to be wherever Miku locked everyone else, so she decides to look for her.


	38. Chapter 38

Ch.37 Artifacts

The fight with this new artificial spirit is going south for the group as Ellen is struggling with this new foe and her allies can't give her advice or help too much as she is deaf at the moment. Aki is injured, Hiro can't stand right now, and Akane is protecting civilians from the collapsing stadium. Miku is simply watching from the side as she decided to not fight, and Shiori manages to get near and, in a demanding tone, tells her.

"Why won't you help us?"

Miku simply turns her head with a rather off-putting look as she simply replies.

"It's your problem now, not mine. So you handle it."

Shiori, finally having enough, walks up to Miku and punches her in the face and looks at her fist in disbelief as she is in disbelief that she actually struck someone. Miku is also very insulted as no one has struck her like this before. Shiori, getting back to the point, scolds her.

"Don't you care about any of those people who are fleeing the stadium!? Don't you care about those people out there that are trying to help you?"

Shiori points at Hiro and explains.

"That white-haired young man protected you, and do you know why? Because he cares about you. He showed you compassion, which is more than you deserve."

Miku snaps back and retorts.

"I don't need some man's compassion. I have my…"

Shiori interrupts and angrily rebukes.

"Will you stop that! Those people out there are not your friends, they're just slaves to your brainwashing. Hiro protected you of his own free will, and you can't even say thank you to him!?"

Shiori becomes more calm and explains further.

"If I wanted, I could have just abandoned this city and you. I chose to face, knowing you would cheat, because I wanted to help you."

Miku cringes and turns around with a look of uncertainty as thinks for a moment. Shiori's two guardian's appear at her side and further says.

"I wanted to help you, because you're my mother. But, my mother would never act like such a selfish person…at least not the one I know."

Miku's eyes widen and immediately retorts with a blush and anger.

"I don't have any children. That would have doing unspeakable things with a man, and I wouldn't even let one get close to me."

Shiori shakes her head and simply says.

"I know you're not. Like I said, my parents taught me that some people can be trusted. But only some."

Shiori runs back into the stage area ready to help in any way she can. Miku thinks for a second more and simply stands there.

On the ship, Shido has decided that he wants to go and help. Tohka and Mana agree as they leave the ship in Kotori's hands and leave immediately. Ellen is putting up her best fight with the artificial spirit, but her side is bleeding as the artificial spirit has cut it pretty badly. Ellen's territory poses little defense as this foe's blade and faze through it. Yushin simply sits and watches with glee as his creation is very strong.

Down where Miku locked up Miyuki, the young girl is looking around the room as the others told her to stay put. But she feels rumbling and crawls under a chair. As she does, Yoshinon tells her.

"Miyuki, we just stay here and hide. We've got to go help our friends."

Miyuki shakes her head and replies.

"But, it sounds scary up there, and I…."

Yoshinon puffs up and reminds her.

"Did you forget, silly? We're superheroes, and that means we beat bad guys!"

Miyuki puts on a more confident look and stands up with a can-do posture as she begins making her way to the doorway, but she slips on the floor and her face slams into the door leaving a red bruise on her face and she begins to tear up.

Shido arrives at the stadium faster than the others as Kurumi has accompanied him. But she disappears as she drops him off saying she has something to look into at the moment. Shido notices the destruction as Ellen gets sent flying past him as she crashes into the wall. Shido, out of concern, runs to her and asks.

"Are you okay, Ellen?"

Ellen smiles and replies.

"Yeah, it's just a minor injury."

Ellen tries to stand up, but Shido puts his hand on her shoulder and suggests.

"Why don't you stay here for a moment."

Ellen is vehement for a moment, but her wound will only get worse and she agrees to stay. Shido is more worried than he appears as this enemy is more dangerous than could have guessed since she's beating them even with Ellen's help. Shido summons Sandalphon without a clear plan but he can't just do nothing. As he prepares to get on the stage, he is stopped by Yushin, who simply stands in front of him and Shido can't help but become a little mad seeing his face. Yushin wags his finger and says.

"Now now, this is ladies night with one guy, and a…semiconscious soldier guy I guess."

Shido can tell this Yushin is different from Isaac, but he can't figure it out yet. He looks at him and asks.

"Why are you doing this? Or are you just like that Westcott who kidnapped Tohka?"

Yushin sighs and shakes his head and retorts.

"Don't compare me to my father. I just want to see the progression of evolution. Think about it for a second, Itsuka."

Shido is now a little more suspicious as Isaac called him Takamiya, but he listens anyway since he may get something out of this guy.

"Humans have invented many cool things like planes, phones, and other things. But Spirits on the other hand can transcend space and time. If I could learn how to recreate that power with my human hands, then there's no telling what I could accomplish."

Yushin has a look of anticipation as he watches the artificial Spirit fight off Aki and now Shiori is on the stage with her guitar and is trying to figure out her powers as Aki is being smacked around by the foe. Miku, on the other hand, is watching these random people she's only met trying to win an impossible fight and thinks they're being stupid. She thinks of something to say to them to convince them to stop and prove her point, but instead she feels the ground shaking a little.

The group, who is still fighting, are also feeling the ground shaking, and then a series of ice shards erupt from the ground and rain all over the arena. It catches everyone off guard causing shards to rain down on Aki which makes a few cuts on his body, Hiro manages to deflect the shards with his blades, Akane just heals her wounds, and Shiori manages to block hers by strumming her guitar and making a sonic wall above her head. The artificial Spirit, on the other hand gets a few cuts causing her confusion. Aki sees this opportunity through his injuries and runs up to her, with a great deal of force, he charges up his sword by raising it to the sky, creating the glyph, and shouting.

"Annhiliation!..."

He then drives his sword into the ground and creates a massive wall of energy around his body which causes the Spirit to rise into the sky while being injured and Aki shouts.

"Rending Saber!"

Yushin watches with displeasure, Shido and Ellen cheer on, and Miku is shocked that fight has apparently just ended by the hands of a man who apparently had no chance. Aki kneels down as he reverts to his normal form and then a hole is seen above him in the stadium. He manages to stand and check on the girls who were knocked out and is happy to see they didn't get hurt.

Shido runs over to congratulate Aki, and doesn't realize he is still holding Sandalphon. Hiro would stand if he could. Miku is thinking about what Shiori said to her and looks at her potential daughter and now realizes that she was telling the truth. Miku is contemplating going over to talk to them and maybe rethink what she's been doing, maybe. But then…she hears someone say.

"Hello there…."

Miku turns around and is shocked as the sound of a blade slicing echoes as she is stabbed through the chest. She clenches her chest a bit and sees Saori standing in the shadows as she backs away with Miku wondering what just happened through the pain.

On the stage, the body of the wizard falls through to the ground unconscious. Aki runs over to see if she's also okay. He sees she's still alive and is relief at this. As he turns to walk to his friends, he hears her standing up with her sword ready. Aki is in trouble and he knows it. He backs up and waves his hand saying in a panic.

"Don't get closer."

He then feels something brush against his face as his eyes close and he can't see anything. He opens his eyes and everything is a blur for a moment as he hears something fall to the ground. He looks behind and he sees his friends with worried looks on their faces. He then sees something that he wishes he wouldn't see. He sees the artificial spirit on the ground dead, and a bloody Sandalphon in his hand. He feels his face and finds blood on it. He then takes a few second of silence for everything to register, and then he lets out a loud scream. He drops Sandalphon and approaches the corpse and starts shaking it and saying things in a frantic way.

"Come on! Get up, move, attack me, do something….Anything! I didn't ….. I COULDN'T…."

Shido approaches Aki and puts his hand on his shoulder and tries to console him.

"Aki…you didn't mean to do it. I mean…."

Aki starts shaking the body again and keeps saying.

"No I didn't!...No…no"

Aki is being so frantic that his body begins shaking and an aura surrounds his body as the ground begins to quake again. Everyone knows what this is as he begins panicking. Akane runs up to him and immediately says.

"Aki, if you don't calm down, you'll kill more people."

Aki immediately turns around and tells her.

"I didn't kill anyone! I didn't!"

Shido tries again, but Aki keeps panicking about this. Akane, left with little choice, punches Aki in the back with a powerful flame punch and knocks him out causing the Spacial Quake to not happen.

 **I'll leave it here for now since it's been a while since the last chapter update. I will post the next chapter as a part two of this since I want this to get out there.**


	39. Chapter 39 (sorry it took so long):(

Ch.38 A moment of Shock

Aboard the Bifrost, everyone is back and no one is smiling. Everything seems to have stopped in place and gone silent. Shido and Shiori are both crying, Hiro is pounding his fist against the wall, Aki is still in shock, Miyuki looks confused, and the others have clearly uneasy looks, including Kurumi. Kotori is reviewing the footage captured from the ship's computer and is trying to figure out what happened. The city below is in ruins and is decimated from a spacial quake leaving a giant crater below. There weren't any fatalities, but the body of this world's Miku was lost in the stadium. Ellen's hearing was restored by Kurumi by this point.

Shido and Shiori are both sad because at the end, they couldn't help her, and they didn't have a chance to talk with her at the end. They just found her, lifeless, bleeding, and her eyes blank…she was gone and they couldn't do anything. Aki caused a spacial quake which devastated the city. Miyuki then walks up to Ellen, who is the most collected looking, and asks her.

"Miss Ellen, why are those two crying? Did they want to play with that girl back there?"

Hiro stops his pounding and listens to what Miyuki says as she continues.

"I thought she was mean, but I think mister Shido liked her, and she could have just played with us when she woke up from her nap. I think that girl just needed more friends."

Hiro walks away with a frustrated look on his face as Mana follows him. Ellen then actually hugs Miyuki and rubs her head as she was her own daughter and thinks.

" _Of course she wasn't taught about death. She's so young."_

Kurumi becomes annoyed as she continually slaps Aki across the face and tells him.

"Stop that whining, and get over it. You killed a threat, and protected the group."

Aki doesn't respond but he does become quieter. Ellen approaches him and reminds him.

"I've done horrible things too, Aki. I know what you're going through. But please don't be too hard on yourself."

Aki returns to his shocked state as he keeps repeating.

"I killed someone, I took her life…."

Tohka puts his head to her chest and tries to be comforting as best she can, but he is just unable to communicate. Akane is hell-bent on finding who killed this world's Miku as they don't know who did it, but they have an idea. Unable to find anything, they decide to be done with this time, and warp away.

 **Prime Timeline**

Saori is reporting to Shinra in enclosed area outside of DEM headquarters. Shinra is actually beating her as she has bruises on her body and blood dripping from her lip as he yells at her.

"I never told you to kill any Spirits! Who gave you the right, you ungrateful brat!"

He throws her across the ground as Saori tries to stand up and spits out some blood. She then retorts.

"What does it matter? You're never going to that time again, are you?"

Shinra walks up slaps her again as he grabs her by the hair before she falls and answers.

"I don't care. I gave you direct orders to not kill any Spirits no matter what. You broke that one rule, and killed Miku."

Shinra drops Saori and tells her in a much more calm tone.

"Don't forget who saved you, Saori. I'll give you another chance, but if you kill another Spirit, I won't hesitate to kill you myself."

Shinra warps away as he states he needs to see this world's Miku to calm himself down upon being mad. Saori is forbidden to use her power to undo her injuries as she is being watched by the others and knows it. Freki makes her presence known again by appearing to Saori and offers a helping hand by giving some bandages.

 **Tengu City**

Shinra appears before a mirror in a nearby restroom near the park as he prepares himself to interact with the girls of the base timeline. He removes his mask and utters.

"Time to begin my date."

He smiles and his body shrinks a little and he adjusts his hair and his eyes are amber-brown and he resembles Shido down to his expressions. He also changes his clothes to look exactly like him. He wanders around the town and notices that Miku was supposed to have a concert today, but she cancelled. He smiles again as he warps to her mansion in an isolated area where he won't be noticed.

He makes his way to Miku's home, and she's not seeing anyone right now out of depression. Shinra phases through the fence and the girls outside the residence as she hasn't allowed anyone inside her home. Miku is in her tea room as she holds a rose and pulling the petals off while muttering.

"Darling loves me, he loves me not…"

Shinra makes his way to the door and slightly opens it. Miku looks at the door with annoyance as some people have managed to get in to her dismay as she has sent everyone away. Upon seeing his face, Miku instantly becomes hopeful. Shinra, disguised perfectly, looks at Miku immediately as he casually says.

"Hey there."

He scratches the back of his head and his demeanor is just like that of Miku's missing darling. She walks slower and then runs to him with a loud.

"Darling!"

Shinra opens his arms as Miku hugs him thinking he's Shido. Miku's face is planted in his chest as she cries tears of joy. Shinra then tells her.

"I'm sorry I haven't been around. But you have no idea how much I've missed you and that beautiful voice, Miku."

Shinra then lowers his head to her hair and sadly thinks in his mind.

" _I've missed you so much, it truly hurts"_

Shinra hugs Miku tighter as he can't contain his excitement.

 **Bifrost**

The ship is above a more peaceful city full of life and happy people, but the same can't be said about the crew of the Bifrost. Hiro returns to the bridge after thinking for a while and walks to Aki, who is just sitting with a blank expression now. Shido and Shiori have stopped crying, but are both still upset about what happened. He has to stay on the ship because of his injuries and most of the others are recovering emotionally, so Kotori and Ellen along with Mana are going down below while Akane helps consol the others and Miyuki is too young to go without confirming the safety. Tohka isn't leaving without either Shido or Aki.

 **Base Time**

Yushin is meeting with his "father" as Isaac simply shakes his head and laughs and says.

"This is just great…I actually do have a kid."

Yushin mimics his shrug and replies.

"Maybe, or maybe I'm a clone. How would you know? I don't, and we've only just met."

Yushin is being followed by a woman wearing a red visor and a red suit with black hair, Codenamed ZaFkIeL M1. The two are talking about the little things as Yushin makes his motives blunt.

"I'm going to be frank, old man. I'm not here to be your ally, your friend, or even you acquaintance. I don't want to know you or what you do. I don't want near my spirits, I don't want you near my ships. If you want to me, I want to know a day in advance, so I can skip it. I'm just here to use you to further my own goals."

Isaac maintains his calm demeanor as he simply replies.

"Works fine with me. I'll just use you to further my goals too."

Yushin stands and says.

"Good, now that we understand that simple thing, I'll be going."

Yushin attempts to walk away, but a territory appears around him. Ellen is generating this as Isaac isn't finished. Yushin isn't fazed by this as he says.

"Good grief, were you really this bland."

Yushin raises his hand and touches the territory and Ellen is blown back with her clothes seared by something. Yushin looks back at Isaac and tells him.

"When I say I'm done, I mean it. Don't forget that I call the shots around here, and my technology is vastly superior by a good margin. Plus, I've got friends in places you can't even imagine."

Yushin moves up his sleeve and reveals a weird implant in his arm and describes it as.

"Imagine a mana eater on steroids. This is the ultimate weapon against any human, wizard or otherwise."

This is end of their meeting as Yushin walks away and prepares to board his ship, the Enoch. He also is greeted by a young man, who asks.

"How'd the meeting go?"

Yushin shrugs and answers.

"Pointless and boring, but at least he should know who's the better leader. I think we should take a break until our other Spirit Child makes his or her move."

When asked why he worded his sentence like that, Yushin responds.

"Why indeed?"

 **Bifrost**

Akane is looking at the monitors and notices a pair of twins who heavily resemble the Yamai twins walking while wearing Raizen uniforms. On the surface below, the grounded group is approaching a girl with ash-gray hair reading a comic book also wearing a uniform. Neither group knows about both, and they may have another problem at hand.


	40. Chapter 40

Ch.39 A Split Decision

Akane is looking at the monitor and is looking at the twins as they walk down the road. She is wondering about this timeline being a Yamai one, but she should let the others know. But before she can contact them via the transmitters, Hiro immediately comes back to the bridge after changing bandages, and asks in a very serious tone.

"Why aren't you finding out who killed Miku?"

Akane is looking at the monitors as she answers.

"I'm trying to figure out if these two are the Spirit Children of this universe."

Hiro pushes a button on the monitor to bring up the footage again of Miku's death. They can't see her until she falls backwards with her chest opened from being stabbed. Akane clicks the button again to review the street below and tells him.

"What good would it do to find out who did it now? I'm trying to…"

Hiro turns her around and his eyes have dark intentions in them as he explains.

"I'm going to find out who did it, and I'm going to kill them for it."

Akane is then moved from her chair by force as Hiro continually looks the footage of Miku's death. Akane can't reason with him, so she decides to check on the others. Shido is in the kitchen cooking something, a simple breakfast with eggs and toast. He isn't making any sounds outside his cooking, he just has a plain expression, alone. Akane checks on him as she asks him.

"How you holding up?"

Shido just continues cooking without answering. Akane feels bad for him and decides not to push it. But before she leaves, Shido turns off the burner and says in a very uneasy tone.

"It was so horrible, Akane. Miku was just…I couldn't do anything to save her. Aki is shock over what he did, and I don't know how many other people got hurt because of that quake. It was so….aweful, and I was helpless to stop it."

Akane gets closer to him and explains as best as she can.

"Shido, none of what happened was your fault. Miku reaped what she sowed in that world. Not saying that I think it's good she died, but still."

Shido is unsure about that because Miku seemed different at the end, if only just a continues cooking as he tells Akane before she goes.

"Please tell the others that breakfast will be done soon."

Akane nods as she goes to check on Miyuki next. She bumps into Tohka, who is looking for Aki, but she can't find him and she's worried. Akane agrees that it is troubling considering his state of mind, and agrees to help look for him. Upon looking around, they hear music coming from somewhere. Upon looking around, they hear it getting louder and coming from Shiori's room. They then hear singing as Shiori sings.

"So, you think that you can see

The one who was lost to me?

But you don't really understand it do you?

I'm afraid to say, it must begin, the first to fifth, denial into give.

The pastor writing her final requiem."

She starts playing her guitar sweetly and continues her singing.

"Well your bond was strong, but you turn the truth

You acted most uncouth

her passing was too much to you.

Well she screamed into the air

And took your things with an empty stare

And from defeat she composed your requiem"

Shiori stops for a second and writes something on a piece of paper and continues.

"Well I've never knew before

How sweet to hear that knock on the door

I know that you rocked her to the core

But I've seen what tried offer up

And it's nothing compared to her sipping on the cup

It's a cold and hollow requiem…

There was a time when you'd tell the sky

That you felt was on the nigh

The night you'd ask to be yours would you

Well that now that she's beyond reach

The world suddenly became bleached

And you can't speak to me can you

But remember what she told to me

The thing you could never see

And from that I knew her requiem

Maybe there was flower of love

But all I've seen from above

Is how to learn to live through it

And it's not a crime that you cannot cry

It's someone who's starring at the sky

Someone who's learning to deal with verses from her requiem

Even though she's gone

We promise to live on

We'll never forget her will we

From this day and forward

We'll tread on and onward

To a loving and warming hallelujah"

The two decide to back off a bit despite Shiori's singing being very good. She and Shido are dealing with their depression in their own way. But Aki, they don't know what he's doing, and that's what really worries them.  
 **Below In the City**

Aki is wandering around in the parks more forest area as he wants to be alone. He is just wonders about everything up to this point as he thinks while standing next to a tree.

" _I killed someone, possibly hurt others, and I caused so much destruction. We even lost Miku's body because of me. Is my…no my mom isn't evil, then it must be my power, a power that I got from her. But why me? Why do I have such an evil power?"_

Aki starts slamming his head against a tree until he is stopped by someone who asks him while holding his shoulder.

"What are you doing!?"

Aki stops and looks at the tree since it has a red stain on it as he smiles and says.

"…At least my blood is still red."

Aki turns around and sees the twins Akane was observing. One a boy, and the other a girl who are both wearing the respective gender's uniforms for Raizen, but the boy is wearing glasses. The girl asks with a slightly worried expression.

"You okay there, Fella? Having a bad day?"

Aki puts on a fainter smile as he answers.

"I did something that can't be undone. So yeah, I'm having a bad day."

The boy approaches him as he explains.

"Analysis, you're feeling guilty about something you did, and you're frustrated at yourself. But hitting yourself won't change anything."

Aki looks at the tree again and replies.

"I know, but it just really hurts knowing I did such a terrible thing. I can't help but wonder what would happen if my parents found out what I did."

The girls puts on a big grin and tells him.

"Just talk to them. Parents are like a blanket, you can cry to them and they'll listen to you while keeping you safe and warm. Ours do, and I feel like a champion for the life I've got."

The boy adjusts his glasses as he replies.

"Rep…I need to stop doing that….Our parents are indeed wonderful, and I love them very much. I agree with Sora, talk to your parents and admit your mistake. They'll believe in you, if they won't, who will."

Aki nods as he agrees with the two and asks them.

"What are your names? My name is Akihiko, but my friends call me Aki."

The twins introduce themselves formally, as the girl cheerily says.

"Sora Itsuka the gale, that's my name and title."

The boy has a slightly annoyed look.

"Good grief, Sora, you're so boisterous. Intro, my name is Kenji Itsuka, the elder twin."

Upon just hearing their names, and upon closer inspection, these two must be the spirit children of this time. The girl, Sora, has long hair that reaches her shoulders and her keeps one her bangs braided and has a bird-shaped hairclip with a purple ribbon around her neck. The boy, Kenji, has short hair with and has blue earrings and his blazer has short sleeves along with a more unorthodox tie. Both twins have amber-brown eyes, but Kenji is slightly taller. Since Aki is out of uniform, the two automatically think he's from a different school or is a tourist.

In another part of the city, the on ground team is walking around looking for Origami. While walking, Ellen looks at Kotori and asks her.

"Are doing alright, Kotori? I'm sure you're disturbed about what happened."

Kotori puts a new lollipop in her mouth as she is a little unresponsive. Truth is, she is disturbed about what happened, but won't admit it. Mana adds her thoughts on the matter as she explains.

"I can't say that I'm upset about what happened. That girl was a tyrant and she needed to be stopped. But I'm definitely upset about Shido being sad about it, and Hiro wasn't happy either. I think was crying more about it than my brother."

Mana did in fact follow Hiro, and she remembers him crying over Miku's death, and him not wanting to talk for the time. She's not so much as mad about Miku dying, so much as he feeling sorry for her family. While walking a little, Mana doesn't pay attention and accidently bumps into somebody as they both fall to the ground and land on their rears. Mana quickly gets up, but the other person rubs their rump as Kotori and Ellen look at them and see it is a young girl about seventeen years old and she starts looking around the ground for something. Feeling a little bad, Mana helps her look without asking and sees a pair of glasses. Mana attempts to hand them to her, but the girl says.

"I'm not looking for those."

Mana is a little confused, but the girl then finds what she is looking for, a comic book. Kotori looks at it to see the title, but she can't read it. Ellen and Mana look at it, and they can clearly read the words "Detective Comics" in plain English. However, what really draws Ellen's attention is the girl's appearance; she has medium disheveled ash-gray hair with blue streaks, amber-brown eyes, and is wearing a gray knee-length skirt with a navy sweatshirt with a hoodie. She has simple white boots, a necklace shaped like a bat, and an earring shaped like an S inside of a triangle; she is also wearing a pair of glasses. Ellen recognizes her appearance as she helps the girl up, and Mana formally apologizes.

"Sorry, I wasn't looking where I was going."

The girl brushes her sweatshirt and replies in a normal tone.

"It's okay, my comic book wasn't damaged at all."

Kotori doesn't recognize this girl at all along with Mana, but Ellen thinks, and then asks.

"Young lady, what is your name?"

The girl puts her glasses into her pocket and answers.

"My name is Miya Itsuka, and I would like to read my comic if you don't mind."

The girl named Miya walks past the team with her nose in her comic book as Kotori says.

"She's a real people person. Wait…did she say Itsuka?"

Ellen nods and waits for the girl to get into the distance a little and explains.

"Yes, she's Nia's daughter, a spirit that Shido hasn't met yet judging by your reaction, Kotori."

Kotori thinks for a second and vaguely remembers a similar photo in the archive of a Spirit who resembles that girl. She can't fully understand yet. Mana then suddenly feels the urge to use the bathroom and luckily there is one across the way. As she does, she has a nasty feeling she' s been in this situation before. She feels someone grab her from behind and a hand wraps around her mouth. She manages to notice the hand has the feeling of a wiresuit. She then hears a familiar voice saying.

"I'm gonna let you go, and you shut up and listen to what I have to say."

Mana is then released as she turns and sees Saori along with Ashcroft's corpse. Mana is tempted to equip her realizer and immediately fight the deranged Spirit Child, but Saori simply says.

"I've got information you might want to hear. So listen good."

Mana is suddenly overcome with fear as Saori's presence feels more dangerous then before. Mana then asks with slight uneasiness.

"Saori, how many people did you kill to get the power you needed to undo those injuries?"

Saori is fully recovered as she has gone against Shinra's wishes. She smiles a bit and sarcastically responds.

"Do you remember how many loaves of bread you've eaten in your life?"

Saori chuckles a little and gets to the point.

"Shinra has another Spirit Child under his employ and they're here. I don't know who they are or what they look like."

Mana is a little off about trusting this, but Saori has a hint of desperation in her voice. Saori then states.

"I'm telling you this because Shinra pissed me off."

Saori backs off, and Mana wants to hear more about Shinra, but the former disappears into a shadow. Mana decides to keep those words in mind since Saori wasn't acting like her normal self. But it is very difficult to trust her. Saori hides outside the bathroom building and then notices the girls on the ground as she thinks.

" _Now all I need to do get the other flame bitch, and Tohka off that ship, and I can finally breed those two. Especially with help from my little friend in my pocket."_

Mana then begins wondering where Miya went as she realizes that she may have let a potential enemy go.


	41. Chapter 41

Ch. 40 The Oa

The group is trying find Miya as she may be the antagonistic Spirit Child that Mana heard about. They can't let another Saori catch them by surprise. But they're still a little worried that it was Saori who told them about it as it seems too suspicious. Moreover, Miya would make a dangerous enemy according to what Ellen knows. Out of caution, they decide the best option is to stick together.

Aboard the ship, Shido's meal is ready despite it being last minute to those on the ship, but Hiro and Shiori aren't around. Akane and Miyuki happily eat the food along with Tohka, who isn't enjoying Shido's cooking like she normally would; Kurumi is just eating and acting normal without saying anything. She is too worried about Aki to fully enjoy the food. She worries about him, and she doesn't focus on getting any more food, and decides to go back to looking for him. Miyuki then gives a little burp as she bashfully puts her free hand over her mouth and says.

"Excuse me."

Miyuki then goes away as she and Yoshinon have to finish coloring something they were working on. Shido then just goes back to cooking anything that he can think of. Kurumi decides to leave since she has no business here, and Akane stays behind. She wants to talk to Shido alone so she has to wait for Kurumi to leave. Shido just goes back to his burner and melts chocolate for a dip later. Akane approaches him and says in an empathetic tone.

"Shido, cooking isn't going to change what happened. You know that."

Shido doesn't respond, and then Akane asks him.

"Do you think you feel the worst about this?"

Shido stops doing what he's doing and slams his hand on the counter. Akane then explains to him.

"I'm disturbed by this too, Shido. I joined Ratatoskr to help Spirits, and losing one isn't anything fun for me. Hiro is out for blood and is reviewing the footage like a madman to figure who did it. Akihiko is disturbed as hell over something he shouldn't feel bad about, and Shiori…Miku's her mom, and she saw her own mother dead on the ground. I can't imagine how painful that was to her."

Shido finally says something upon hearing this as he replies in a very serious tone.

"Akane, it just easy to accept. I've saved the girls from this stuff before, but this time I couldn't. I wanted to help her just like I've done, but I couldn't….I couldn't do anything."

Akane puts her hand on his shoulder and tells him.

"Shido, go to Shiori. She needs you right now, just like Aki needs Tohka."

Shido agrees and decides to leave the stove to go to Shiori's room and leave Aki to Tohka. On the bridge, Hiro is becoming increasingly frustrated with his findings as he can't find a clue as to who killed that previous Miku. Tohka enters the bridge and sees Hiro smash his fist against a metal bar as she approaches and asks.

"Hiro, could you please help me find Aki? I'm very worried about him."

Hiro doesn't turn his head and answers.

"This really isn't a good time, Tohka."

Tohka doesn't accept this as she becomes more serious and tells him.

"I need to find him before he does something that could…"

Hiro turns around and has a vicious look on his face as he snaps.

"SHUT UP, TOHKA! I'M IN NO MOOD!"

Tohka becomes a little startled at Hiro, but she then immediately slaps him across the face and this is strong enough to knock him out of the chair as Tohka starts clicking random buttons on the consol to adjust the camera. Hiro's ribs start aching from the force he took, but he doesn't get mad at Tohka as he watches her mess around which pops up multiple screens and other things that don't help her. Hiro stands up and then says.

"Move, I'll help you, Tohka."

Tohka moves away from the consol and Hiro sets up the monitors to help find Aki. He does this and says to her.

"Tohka, I'm so sorry I yelled at you."

Tohka is a little pouty about it, but then Hiro explains to her.

"I'm actually very happy to be near you again."

Tohka becomes curious as she asks.

"What happened to the me that you knew?"

Hiro pauses for a second as he explains.

"She died protecting my mom."

Tohka is a bit shocked at this as the idea of giving her own life to save Origami Tobiichi is something she hasn't thought of. Hiro tells her.

"During the final days of the war, we put up a massive territory around the inner parts of the city where the citizens were being kept because DEM was breaching our defenses. My mom was nine months pregnant at the time and she wasn't evacuated with most of the others at the time. I think part of her really wanted be part of the fight. An elite wizard broke through our defenses and intended to kill my mother…and then, you suddenly appeared and took a fatal blow protecting her. The wizard pierced your heart with her weapon, but you fought back and killed her yourself. You then died in my mother's arms and you said…."

 **Final Days of the war**

Tohka is bleeding profusely as her fatal wound is taking its toll as she falls over, but is caught by Origami, who is wearing a white dress with black laces for her swollen stomach. She (Origami) is baffled by the sudden protection and says in complete shock.

"Tohka….why did protect me? I know you've always hated me to an extent, but now…"

Tohka smiles as she explains in her dying breath.

"I did…for the baby…not you…but maybe…it woul….nt have matt..mattered."

Tohka's eyes go blank as her body goes limp. Origami is beside herself as she looks at Tohka's smiling face and lays her body on the ground. It was from this day forward that she forgave the spirits and realized they aren't the monsters she painted them as. If it wasn't for Tohka, he children would have lost their mother, and a life would have ended before it could start.

 **Present**

Hiro wipes his face and Tohka can understand his frustration. She then says.

"My son needs me now, just like your mom needed me then."

Hiro continues to help Tohka, and then she adds.

"I heard that you made a city where the spirits are thought of as heroes, and that the others are happy. If I had to sacrifice my life to make that happen, I…I probably would."

Hiro becomes silent as Tohka's death is something he wishes her could undo along with Yuzuru's death.

Down on the land below, Aki is traveling with the twins he met a little bit ago as they are getting along and he wants to know if they are indeed the Spirit Children of this world. He decides to become familiar with them first to avoid being suspicious. He asks them about their parents, to which Sora answers, with her arms behind her back.

"Our old man is some hotshot game story writer at some company."

Kenji then explains while walking straight.

"And our mother is well; she can be diverse at times. She's rather…unique."

Aki wonders about this as he knows both of the Yamai twins, but can't tell what they mean. He wonders who their mother specifically is. He can't just admit he knows as that would make them curious about him. Sora, taking the initiative, asks Aki.

"We spilled our beans all over your plate, so spill some on ours."

Kenji interjects by stating.

"Sora, good grief, spilling already spilled beans back on our plates just means he's giving it back."

Sora puts on a poutier look as she doesn't respond as Aki adds.

"Sure, I'll tell you both about me parents."

Aki just gives vague details on his parents without dropping names. But the twins seem like good kids and Aki is cheering up rather quickly. Kenji checks his watch as he states.

"Reminder, we promised to have lunch with our mother at the ramen place."

Sora remembers that too as she slaps her face and says that they have to go, but Kenji suggests.

"We could invite him to go with us. I'm sure mother wouldn't mind."

Sora and Kenji are being considerate of Aki seeing as how they met him as he was slamming his head against a tree. Aki doesn't mind as he has skipped lunch and maybe a hot meal will do some good for him.

Elsewhere in the city, Mana and Ellen have located Miya with Kotori following them. She is reading in a café while having a muffin with a coffee. She is engrossed in her comic book. Miya then looks at them as if she knows they're there. Ellen explains.

"If she's Nia's daughter, she's probably aware of us at the moment."

Ellen explains some base things about Nia's power and she thinks that Miya must have similar powers. As she does, they hear a voice asking.

"Are you three stalking me? Or are you planning to do with me?"

They look and see Miya with her comic and an irritated look on her face as she just appears annoyed. Kotori is the first to think of an excuse as she takes the charge and says.

"We're here to check on your work on the newest..um…chapter"

Miya looks confused as Ellen mentioned Nia does create manga, but Miya simply looks confused as she wonders. She then asks.

"Wait, do you want my autograph? I didn't people would know who I am."

The three go with it, and Miya reaches into her pocket and pulls out a piece of paper as she says.

"I'll give you three credit for finding me, but I don't want trouble, and I don't want my peace disturbed. So I'll give you an autographed picture, but tell no one."

Miya starts drawing a character on the piece of paper and it resembles a character from a western cartoon holding a sword and Miya autographs it with a different name, Rebecca Faust. She hands them the picture and also says in a very stoic way.

"Next time you want an autograph, don't cause trouble for the person involved."

They manage to avoid arousing her suspicion, but they continue to follow her for a while. They move more cautiously so she won't try to read them again or look into them. It isn't known if Nia's powers would work on the group if they're each from different dimensions, so they don't know if Miya is the one they're to looking out for, but they can't take any chances.

Back aboard the Bifrost, Hiro is still helping Tohka find Aki as they haven't made too much progress. They are looking at the screens when a sudden static takes them over. Akane happens to walk into the bridge when this happens and is present as the screen shifts over and shoes a figure with a menacing presence coated in full body armor that is navy blue and he has red glowing eyes as he simply states.

"Are all DEM technologies this flimsy?"

The person on the other end catches the attention of the others as Hiro tries to get the screen back to normal as Tohka puts on a serious look to not be intimidated by this person. Akane walks up and asks in her sarcastic tone.

"Who is the crap is this comic book joker?"

Looking at the man, he does resemble a comic book villain as he replies.

"Just the king of the ship before you."

The monitors then disappear from vision as they see a giant black and green ship just in front of their own causing them to wonder how such a ship could have been hidden from them. The man then states.

"I am J'onn Hol, the king of the Oa, and the hunter of Spirits."

Hiro grips his hands as he repeats.

"Hunter of Spirits?"

The screen returns to normal as the giant ship remains there. Akane is just confused about what just happened as she has a more "really" look than anything else. Hiro, on the other hand, is more serious about that statement. He stands up, but his ribs suddenly feel very hurt as he falls to his knees. Akane tells him.

"Hiro, enough with the chivalry for one day. You haven't been able to recover since your fight with Saori and Aki."

Tohka doesn't react too much to that last statement as she understands who they come from. Tokha agrees with Akane as she says.

"Hiro, you need to rest. I and Akane will take care of those guys."

Hiro wants to fight, but he is in no condition to fight under these circumstances. Even odder, the screen goes immediately into a closed off district and shoes a bunch of black robots rummaging through old buildings, but Tohka and Akane think this is part of their plan. The two mutually agree that something needs to be done, so Tohka partially transforms so she can have Sandalphon and fight while Akane only uses her blue flame with her sword as they warp to the area using Tohka's power.

Hiro stands up again to get back to his monitors, but he is struck from behind by a unknown person, who turns out to be Saori as he falls unconscious from being struck. Saori smiles as she says.

"I couldn't have timed this better if I tired."

Miyuki is her room, but she has fallen asleep after drinking a glass of juice which is mostly empty at her side. The only people on the ship that are awake are Shido, Kurumi, and Shiori with Saori now on the ship without them knowing.


	42. Chapter 42

Ch. 41 Greatest Cruelty

Akane and Tohka are destroying the black robots they saw on the screen in a district of the city that is currently under construction. The robots are plain looking and don't have any real weapons aside from brute strength. Tohka's Sandalphon is a powerful weapon, but Akane's plain katana is cutting through these machines without any real effort. The only thing these robots have is their numbers which are plenty. Akane even exits her spirit form and fights as her human self and it still more than enough to fight these things. She even leaps into the air and shouts.

"Rising Phoenix!"

She then soars diagonally and creates a streak of fire as she descends and the sounds of a bird crying is heard. They keep up the fight as they have energy to spare. It is also a good distraction, but not for them.

Aboard the Bifrost, Shido is walking towards Shiori's room with the intent to talk with her and comfort through the whole fiasco that happened. However, as he is about to enter Shiori's room, he grabbed from behind with a hand over his mouth as he is dragged away.

In the city below, Aki is following the twins to a small little shack that they claim is the ramen place they mentioned. Sora explains.

"Our mom found this place when she was pregnant with m..US, and she smelled the broth then had about five bowls."

Despite the shabby look, the smell coming from the little eatery is great. Aki is the first to enter the shack and is then immediately struck by something upon opening the door.

Elsewhere, the three girls are looking for Miya still, but they seem to have lost track of her for the moment. They attempt to contact the bridge, but Hiro doesn't respond. Without any more leads, Mana suggests.

"I know we said we wouldn't out of caution, but I think we should split up for now."

Kotori and Ellen are iffy about splitting up due to enemy movements, but they agree since it is an optimal move for the moment. They then go their separate ways for the moment. They can't return to the ship yet since Miya is at risk of possibly attacking if she is indeed the enemy and they can't even reach the bridge at the moment.

Back aboard the ship, Shido is thrown into an empty room as a light is immediately switched on. It is a rather empty room that is simply coated with a white tile finish. He turns and sees a Kurumi in her spirit form, but she falls over revealing Saori standing right behind her. It was just another dead one, something Shido simply can't get used to. She looks at him with a smile as she says.

"Welcome to my special saved room, Shido."

Shido looks around the room and then notices the real Kurumi in her human form as she looks irritated as the corpse of Artemisia is standing right in front of her. He asks in a very uneasy tone.

"What are you up to, Saori?"

Saori doesn't have her usual demeanor, rather, he can sense some desperation from her as she states.

"I'm not here to make small talk. I'm here to get what I need from the both of you."

Confused, Shido looks at Kurumi and then asks.

"What is it that you need from us?"

Saori quickly answers.

"I need you both to make a child right here and now."

Shido becomes flustered as he immediately retorts.

"You're kidding right!? I mean, I'm trying to help the spirits, but that's…"

Saori then pulls out a musket and points it at Kurumi and says.

"Do I look like I'm fucking kidding!?"

Kurumi is ready to transform, but she is immediately shocked by a territory from simply moving a muscle as Saori threatens.

"You don't need your arms and legs for what I have planned; keep that in mind, both of you."

Shido is now just beside himself as he asks.

"Saori, what are planning that need us to do something that intimate?"

Saori humors him as she explains.

"I guess it won't hurt to tell you both. I need 100% of my mother's mana, but I can't steal it unless it is a perfect genetic match to myself. Otherwise, I would have taken it sooner, but I have needs for the last two bullets."

Kurumi doesn't say anything as Saori has a close eye on her making any moves. She then grabs Shido by the collar of his clothes as she drags him closer to Kurumi. They both can tell that she's serious. Nobody else can help them since Shiori doesn't know, Hiro and Miyuki are out cold, and the rest aren't even on the ship. Shido is then thrown on top of Kurumi as Saori watches them. Neither of them wants this, but they can't do anything at the moment. Kurumi was caught off guard by Ashcroft's corpse and couldn't move in time. Saori smiles as she tells him.

"Come on, this way, you can save her, seal her powers, and start a family. Hope it isn't a girl who acts like me."

The two sit up as Kurumi says in her usual demeanor.

"I do believe you need to make the mood appropriate. How about some music?"

Saori isn't in the mood, but smiles and asks.

"You wish to hear music?"

Kurumi simply smiles and Saori pulls the trigger and shoots Kurumi in the left shoulder causing her to fall backwards. Shido turns around with an angry look as he tells her.

"Stop it! Saori, this isn't right. If you're mad, then just shoot me and leave her out of this!"

Kurumi has a very angry look as she holds her shoulder. She can't undo the injury without entering her spirit form and the pain in her shoulder is a bit much. Saori points the barrel of the gun at Shido's face, but he just looks at her and has a serious expression. He then says.

"I won't do it. It isn't right. Saori, I want to help you, I just need you to let me. That's what this is about, you're afraid aren't you? Afraid of him."

Saori is tempted to pull the trigger, but she pulls the barrel back and starts laughing as she utters.

"Help me? You think I'm helpable…..yeah, I am afraid of my boss. He said he'd kill me if I do what I did again."

Saori lowers her head and says.

"Fine, I'll let you help me."

Shido smiles and Kurumi feels more uneasy. She then grabs herself, Shido, and Kurumi as they fall through her shadow. They are then brought to the park where Aki was slamming his head into the tree. Shido wonders about why she brought them there. She explains with a smile.

"If you want to help me, you're going to have to do one simple tiny thing to keep Shinra from hurting me."

Shido looks a bit enthusiastic as he asks.

"Sure, what is it?"

Saori smiles at Kurumi and lips out.

" **This is how you break someone."**

Saori throws a gun at Shido and he grabs with a confused look. Saori then explains.

"Shinra is powerful and merciless. So surely he'll tear me limb from limb the moment I return to him. I'd rather avoid that. So, to help me, all you have to do it kill me."

Shido's eyes widen as he asks.

"What?"

Saori grabs the barrel of the gun and says.

"Pull the trigger, and blow my brains out."

Shido throws the gun in a panic and shouts.

"I'm not doing that!"

Kurumi just stays on the ground and watches as she notices something and silently says.

"No, don't do it."

Saori then summons a bunch of her puppets and they each throw a gun at Shido with a smile. Shido doesn't pick any of them up. Saori then casually says.

"Oh, and I'm the one who killed that little whore Miku in that previous timeline."

Shido's eyes widen further as he simply can't believe what he just heard, and how she said it so casually. Shido wonders why, and Saori mentions.

"Because I hate her, that's all."

Shido is mad, but he still refuses to take a gun and point it at her. Saori then mentions.

"God, he's stubborn. Guess I'll up the ante."

Saori snaps her finger and then a group of her puppets walk closer to the area they're in and each hold onto to something. Each one is holding onto a person, random person they are taking as hostage. The gather into a circle and toss their hostages at their feet, people of varying age, men and women alike. Shido wonders what she's up to and she explains.

"For every three seconds you don't shoot me, I'll kill a hostage."

Shido starts hearing the beg and cries of the people in the circle as Saori closes her hand and extends three fingers, closes them one at a time, and then sound of a gunshot and the screaming intensifying. Shido gets angry and shouts.

"Stop it now!"

Saori's eyes shoot open as she demands.

"Then shoot me!"

Shido then grabs a gun and he shakes worse than he ever has before. Shido then looks at the last two in the group who look a lot like Kaguya and Yuzuru as they struggle to try to run away. He notices them and hears them screaming for help. The sounds of the gunshots keeping echoing as the circle are getting closer to the twins. He then points the barrel at Saori and, with tears streaming down his face, he looks down and pulls the trigger as Saori falls over. Shido drops the gun and his eyes go blank from the shock. Kurumi looks at the scene and is compelled to say.

"That was….the cruelest thing I've ever seen."

The sound of laughing is heard and starts intensifying. Out of the shadows, Saori walks towards the scene and is laughing harder than she ever has before. She looks at Shido and says.

"Oh look, I broke him."

She then looks at Kurumi and tells her.

"That's how you get someone to give up one you. You were way too soft, and easy."

Kurumi is beyond anything as she wonders how it was pulled off. It wasn't a puppet, and Saori claims to not have the ability to summon a past self. Shido isn't moving, isn't talking, and isn't showing any emotion. Kurumi sees an opportunity as she enters her spirit form, grabs Shido, and uses her bracelet from the woman in bandages, and leaves with Shido to another timeline without figuring anything out. She had to get him away from Saori. Saori smiles as she stops laughing and hears the sound of footsteps getting closer as she thinks.

" _Now for the real prize."_

She turns and sees Aki, who she attacked and brought here with the twins, standing across the way as he has a look of absolute shock as he says.

"How could you do that to him. He just wanted to help you, and you….you"

Aki has a look of pure hatred as the dark aura emits from his body. He then remembers something that Shinra said to him about merging with his dark sword. He summons it and thinks.

" _I don't care anymore. If I kill someone...like her I can't be evil. Killing her is far from evil, and if I have to do something crazy, so be it! I won't let her get away from me!"_

The twins, confused, look at the scene as Aki takes his dark sword Azael, and then he turns the blade on himself as Saori watches with a smile as negative energy seeps into Aki's body and the entire area becomes enveloped in a cloak of shadow.

Aboard the ship, Hiro wakes up and notices the readout from the mainframe as he is shocked from it. Where Tohka and Akane are, Tohka looks towards the direction where it is happening as she can sense it. She sees the negative energy rising as she calls out.

"Aki!"

In the area, Aki is in the middle of a completely dark area without anyone near as he hears footsteps and now a person appears to him, Inverse Tohka without her sword. She smiles at him and holds out her arms as she doesn't need to say anything. Aki just walks to her she embraces him from the front as coddles him like a mother to a child.

Saori smiles as she simply stands as she witnesses something that Shinra has been wanting. She isn't fazed by the power, doesn't show fear, and is still smiling. She simply says.

"All according to my plan, everything is going like clockwork. Now I wait..."

Saori then chuckles a little.


	43. Chapter 43

Ch. 42 Ultra Violet

Darkness envelops the area, people still alive scream in terror, and Saori smiles as she has awakened something she has wanted to see, a perfect inversion of a Spirit Child. The darkness fades and the sounds of a sword dropping can be heard. Aki stands where he was and is wearing a new outfit consisting of thing armor around his chest that resembles deep dark purple vest with a leather-like texture, dark purple pants with glowing purple lines adorning it with greaves that resemble the claws of a beast and are much like his pants with dark color with glowing lines. He has dark gauntlets with spikes on the forearms and covers his hands completely; a torn cloth fauld at his left side with a strange symbol on it that resembles a sword, a necklace with a black gem adorns his neck and a pair of earrings that resembles the lines on his pants and greaves. His eyes appear empty now as he looks around the area without saying anything.

He begins walking around and looks at the dead bodies around him and actually starts inspecting them much like a child exploring his surroundings. Saori just watches. He then looks at the people around that are still alive as they panic as he approaches. They cower and run away, as Aki sees this, he says in his normal voice.

"Those humans are of no threat to me."

He ignores them and then notices the twins are still here as they can't run away. Aki is curious about them as he approaches, kneels down and asks.

"Why are you both not fleeing like those other humans?"

Sora swallows some spit and asks in worried tone.

"Aki, is that you?"

Aki looks confused, points at himself as he asks.

"Is that my name Aki?"

Kenji stands up and adds.

"Question, you met us just a bit ago here in this area, don't you remember?"

Aki shakes his head and then he notices Saori. He walks up to her and asks her.

"You are like me, where am I?"

Saori smiles as she disappears after saying.

"Not where you're wanted."

Saori fades into a shadow leaving Aki alone with the twins. He turns to them and asks again.

"Where am I?"

The twins don't know how to handle this as he just has this aura around him that makes them afraid. Eventually, they can't handle this anymore and attempt to run away, but Aki teleports in front of Sora and picks her up by the collar causing her to stop breathing from the force. Kenji runs up to Aki and shakes his arm as he tells him.

"Let her go!"

Aki then smacks Kenji with his free arm and sends him slamming into a tree. Aki looks at Sora, and then states.

"You seem like a person of interest to me. I shall take you with me to find where I need to go."

Aki's chocking causes Sora to pass out, but he puts her down and opens a shadow like the one Saori disappeared into as holds her under his arm and walks through the shadow with her. Kenji is coughing up some blood and his a couple of his ribs are shattered as he falls to his knees.

Aboard the ship, Hiro has seen everything as he contacts Mana and tells her what he saw. She listens and she replies.

"Got it, I'll go and help that boy."

She then races to the location. Minutes later, she arrives and sees Kenji trying to walk, but he can't. Mana grabs him before he can fall over and helps him up. She then asks Hiro.

"I got him, so where should I take him?"

She asks because Hiro seems like he has a plan as he explains.

"I'm going to gather the others, and we can't take any chances of leaving someone on the ground."

Tohka and Akane have just finished off the enemies without really breaking a single sweat and have plenty of energy to spare. Tohka wishes to race to Aki to see if he's okay, unaware that he is gone. She attempts to warp towards his location with her power, but she can't. She still has Sandalphon and her partial dress, but she can't summon any more power. Concerned, Akane is about to say something, but she interrupted by a communication from Hiro as he tells her that he has big news for everyone.

About a half hour later, everyone is back on the ship, the Oa has vanished from most likely turning invisible, the streets are calm, and Kenji is lying down as he passed out from his injury. Tohka is worried since Shido and Aki are both missing, but Hiro tells her, and everyone.

"I've reviewed the footage, but some of it is blurry. But Shido, Kurumi, and Aki are gone."

Tohka's eyes widen as watches the footage in horror. Everyone in the group is horrified by the video as they witness Saori's cruelty, Kurumi fleeing with Shido, and Aki's inversion. Mana, Kotori, and Akane are the most furious, Tohka is too horrified to really do anything, and Ellen and Hiro clench their hands into fists. Shiori is with Miyuki in the latter's room because Shiori has come back to reality and is checking on the younger Spirit Child.

Moreover, Akane approaches the screen and looks at Inverse Aki as he disappears and wonders.

"I wonder how he was able to achieve this form."

Akane scratches her chin and then Mana mentions.

"I found this near the area."

She presents the sword Aki stabbed himself with. The sword called Azael, but it has lost all of its power and it just a plain piece of steel. Akane looks at it as she does remember it from when he partially inversed. Akane sighs and explains something she has been observing since the start.

"Everyone, I've been reviewing our footage, and I'd like to explain what I think is happening."

Since she met another Spirit Child, Akane has wondered about all the mechanics to it as she has noticed differences in power. She gathers everyone and pulls up a screen that she's been working on in her spare time. It is pictures of the other Spirit Children in their human and Spirit forms and she explains.

"Since the start, I've noticed the difference in our power levels between Spirit Children. I hypothesize that each of us has a different percentage of Spirit mana from our mother's. Let's use the usual 100% as the place holder. I've placed the number for myself at around 30-45% because my Spirit Form originally lacked a weapon until my guardian summoned one for herself. Now I think that a Spirit Child has to have a minimum of 30% to transform based on what I noticed during our time in Miku's timeline, the one Shiori is from. I found it odd that she couldn't awaken her powers despite the amount of emotional flux she was feeling from her friend's death and subsequent attack. When her baby brother glowed, I believe he transferred his mana to her and it caused the transformation. I'm thinking that Shiori, before that point, had about 29% or less and couldn't achieve her Spirit form and now has more than 30%. Miyuki is unbelievably strong, and I think she has more than 60%, but I'm not sure. Saori is who really worries me, as she can summon her mother's angel, Zafkiel and must have at least 80% or more. I think 80% or even a tiny bit less is the amount needed to do this. The guardian mechanic is something is still uncertain of since all of us, except Shiori who has two and Miyuki with none, have a single guardian. But inversing is something I'm not sure of."

The other's are mostly fine this explanation as Akane has the most reasons to be curious about Spirit Children as she is one, and Hiro wishes to learn about them himself. But he suggests something.

"I want to take that young man home to his parents."

Kenji is still resting and he should be taken home. Tohka has to stay on the ship for this as she is still combat ready to an extent. She's also anxious to get to looking for Shido and Aki. Hiro is still injured, but he insists on going, so he will be accompanied by Mana and Kotori since the latter will be sort of a buffer in case things get complicated and Ellen will be the one to monitor from the ship with Akane as they search for Miya and the Oa. With Kenji and Sora unable to transform and with Sora missing, Miya has to be the one they're looking for.

They find the address by hacking into Raizen's school records and they notice Kenji and Sora's mother is listed under the name Yamai rather than Yuzuru or Kaguya.

Tohka remains on the ship as she is with Ellen and Akane as they look through the monitors for Miya or the Oa. Tohka simply says to herself out of guilt.

"If I had only looked for him still, and didn't…."

Ellen tells Tohka upon looking at her.

"Tohka, that wasn't your fault and it wasn't Shido's fault either. Saori is behind this, and I'm not going to let her go unpunished either.

Akane agrees as she adds.

"We'll find them, Tohka. I promise we'll find them."

Tohka nods and regains her confidence and is actually really starting to like this older Ellen. In Miyuki's room, Shiori is talking with the young child as she continues to draw with her crayons. She is drawing a snowman with bunny ears and a big smile and it cheers Shiori up. Yoshinon looks at Miyuki and says.

"Hey, I want to draw something next."

Miyuki wags her finger and Yoshinon and replies.

"That's not how we ask, Yoshinon."

Yoshinon gives a little puppet sigh and then rephrases.

"Fine, can I PLEASE draw something next, Miyuki?"

Miyuki hands the crayons to Yoshinon and this act makes Shiori laugh a little. Shiori then starts rubbing Miyuki's head and simply says.

"I'm glad that you're around, Miyuki. You're just a like seeing a winter snow for the first time."

Miyuki blushes as Yoshinon continues her drawing and Miyuki's power starts to leak out a little as she instinctively makes a small ice sculpture the size of a small toy in the shape of Shiori holding her guitar. She looks at and Miyuki says.

"For you."

Shiori loves this little gift and hugs Miyuki a little. She is still behind on the events, but she is at least feeling a lot better about everything else now.

Down in the city below, Hiro is walking fine despite his bad injuries and his bandages are well hidden under his clothes and he wears a band over his new eye to appear less strange. As they walk, they see AST forces flying through the sky and Hiro actually does recognize one of the members as she was a member of his squad during the war. He ignores this and continues to the address with Kenji being carried by Mana. Because Aki didn't activate a spacial quake, the city is more or less ignorant to what happened, but sirens can be heard in the distance.

Mana and Kotori are both worried as Hiro seemed a little too insistent on going. They soon come to a rather large home in a suburb area that looks big enough for a bigger family, but not a mansion. Hiro is the first to approach the door, but he is hesitant. He puts his hand towards the door, and slowly he presses on the doorbell.

In another area of the city in an undisclosed area, a person is telling someone.

"I understand this isn't fun, but this is your mission."

The group is in disarray despite their appearances. Shido is missing, Aki has vanished, and Kurumi has left with Shido to another time. They aren't exceptionally worried for Shido as Kurumi will most likely protect him in this regard.


	44. Chapter 44

Ch.43 A Promise

After knocking on the door of residence, a series of footsteps can be heard quickly moving to the door as the door flies open and a woman stands at the doorway with a very worried look on her face as she states.

"Panic, Kenji, Sora, is that you?"

Hiro recognizes her immediately as he flashes back to that day again and he is about to go into his usual panic, but he quickly takes his medication. It is Yuzuru and she looks incredibly upset and she notices Kenji as she walks to him and asks.

"Worry, are you okay, Kenji?"

Kenji wakes up and he smiles at her before falling asleep again. Hiro puts his hand on Yuzuru's shoulder and trembles as he tells her.

"We'll tell you what happened, but we should talk inside."

Mana and Kotori nod as Yuzuru immediately recognizes them. They are then invited into the home, and as they get closer, Kaguya runs into the hall with the same amount of worry and gets the same response. Yuzuru is wearing a blue shirt with a simple pair of brown pants and a purple apron without any shoes. Kaguya is wearing a purple loose-fitting sweater with blue jeans and sandals on. Yuzuru prepares tea, and Kaguya grabs some backed cookies as everyone sits down and discusses what happened. Hiro and Kotori look at the pictures that are on display and are starting to understand what the registry meant.

Hiro smiles, more so than Kotori has ever seen, and he just looks, at peace as he looks upon the photos. As Yuzuru and Kaguya sit down with the tea and cookies, the three are prepared to tell the full truth. Kaguya first explains.

"I was supposed to meet those two at our usual ramen shop, but Shido called me at the last second and said he needed me to bring him his lunch because he forgot it, and then on the way back I saw the ambulance and immediately got worried because of the direction, and I just…I freaked out."

Yuzuru doesn't make things any easier when she adds.

"Explination, I was watching TV when an emergency news cast came on and I heard so people were murdered where Kids were going, and I began to panic as well, but we were told to stay home."

The two are a little calmer for the moment, but then Yuzuru asks.

"Question, where is Sora?"

This is the hard part, and without the complicated explanation, Hiro tells her.

"Sora….was taken by our enemy."

The two are both caught by shock at the same time. Kaguya is apparently the angrier one as she actually jumps over the table and grabs Hiro by his jacket as she shakes him and demands.

"Who!? Who took my Sora!? I want my Sora back!"

Yuzuru grabs Kaguya by waist and yanks her off. Hiro said it because he figured this is how she would react. Yuzuru then tells her.

"Statement, calm down, Kaguya!"

Kaguya gets free, confronts Yuzuru, and tells her.

"You wouldn't be so calm if Kenji is the one they took!"

Yuzuru slaps Kaguya, stares at her, and Kaguya apologizes as she takes it back and adds.

"You're right, it wouldn't have mattered either way."

Hiro then explains the situation in more detail as he feels compelled to let them know the truth. They just listen to his explanation, and they just listen and listen until Hiro finishes. When he finishes, Kaguya asks.

"So this whole time, you've been away from your families?"

Hiro and the girls nod and then Yuzuru asks.

"Wonder, don't you get lonely for them?"

Hiro answers.

"For who? My parents, no I haven't talked with them in months."

Kotori then directly asks.

"So what's up with the whole Yamai name on the parental registry?"

Yuzuru explains that.

"Explination, when Shido married us, it technically wasn't a legal marriage due to polygamy not being legal. We had our wedding in secret and we put Yamai on the certificate. He's gone through a lot of trouble for the both of us, so we thought it appropriate to return the favor, but a complication arose when I became pregnant with our son Kenji."

Kaguya adds to the explanation as she continues.

"Yeah, and I became pregnant with Sora about a few months later. We were happy with our babies, but then we had the issue with school registration. Kenji was born five months before Sora, and if we put the real birthdates on the registry, they would have become suspicious. So we registered them as twins. It was the simplest solution. It didn't matter to us anyway, because we loved each other's children as much as our own. I love Kenji because he's my son."

Yuzuru then states.

"Declaration, I love Sora, she's my daughter."

Kenji has been moved to his bedroom upstairs to rest. Yuzuru and Kaguya are like the others the group has met so far, they can tell what is being said is true. Hiro stands and declares something to the twins.

"I promise you, on my rank a colonel of the AST, that I will personally see to Sora's safe return."

Mana and Kotori nod as they agree with this promise. But unbeknownst to them, Kenji is listening as he is out of bed. He hides upstairs and has heard everything. He then decides to help, even though he has no power of his own. The sounds of more footsteps can be heard as two little girls make their way into the living room dressed in violet-blue elementary school uniforms and look identical to each other. The two ask in sync with each other.

"Mom, can we watch our show please?"

The Yamai sisters nod as the two girls look excited and turn on the TV to a superhero show. Kotori looks at them and asks.

"Who are those two?"

Kaguya happily answers.

"They are Shinatsuhiko and Shinatobe, and I came up with those names myself."

Yuzuru then adds.

"Retort, but those names are too long, so we just call them Tsuhiko and Tobe and their friends call them the Shina twins."

Mana and Kotori think they're adorable, and Mana asks with curiosity.

"So who is the mother of who?"

Yuzuru and Kaguya look at each other as they both answer.

"We're not really sure ourselves."

This causes the three to become a little shocked and Yuzuru explains.

"Explanation, we birthed them on the same day, and we did here in our home. We couldn't go to a hospital, just like Kenji and Sora. We also bought them the same clothes, the same bottles, and they look identical. We eventually stopped caring as we cared for them equally."

Despite everything that was just said, Hiro still has that peaceful smile on his face. He hears a communication from the ship as Akane says.

"We have a problem."

Aboard the ship, the group members aboard the ship are receiving a transmission from the Oa as the captain of the ship holds Miya by the hair and states.

"I'm so happy you found my prisoner. She tried to feign ignorance by offering you those autographs, but nobody flees from us, nobody. Not even that white haired wizard stood a chance against my forces."

That statement immediately catches Akane and Ellen's attention as Akane asks.

"You mean you killed a wizard with white hair?"

The captain shakes his head and declares.

"No, she is nothing but another prisoner to me."

Akane is angry about this and Tohka immediately jumps in and tells him.

"Origami may be a jerk, but she shouldn't be taken a prisoner. So give her back!"

The captain looks at Tohka and says.

"Oh ho, is that a challenge I detect? Fine, if you want them back, then take them! I welcome an invasion!"

The Oa then reappears and stops in front of the Bifrost. Almost as if this is an invitation to fight. Then, a green light appears in the Bifrost's bridge. Tohka is the first to inspect it as she puts her hand into it and can feel something on the other end and manages to pull it back with her as she looks at it and wonders.

"Is this some kind of weird torture device?"

Akane looks it and it is a simple piece of wall from the inside of the ship, but it is also black like the exterior. It is clearly a warp spot to the Oa, but this causes suspicion among the group. Ellen first points this out as she states.

"This feels too easy."

Akane is in agreement as she has a plan. She tells Mana and Kotori to come back to the ship while she and Ellen with Tohka go to the Oa and find out their game. Hiro is to stay with the Yamai sisters and protect them, which Hiro is entirely for. Miyuki and Shiori don't know about this fight and it is preferred they not get involved with conflict. Mana returns to the ship with Kotori as they handle the controls as Akane, Ellen, and Tohka enter the green warp and are instantly taken to the interior of the Oa. The ship has a dark interior that Akane has to light up using her flame abilities by lighting her sword up like a torch. The ship is also devoid of any life for the moment. Ellen equips her Alexander as she is preparing for any ambush that may come. Tohka has her Sandalphon ready as she is at just enough power to fight and not cause too much destruction. Akane has her sword in hand already and is good for a fight at any moment.

Back on the Bifrost, Mana and Kotori gradually dislike the situation even less and Mana says.

"But I thought that Miya was our enemy. So does this mean she's just a victim?"

Kotori then restates.

"You DID hear it from Saori after all. It's pretty clear that we can't trust anything she says to us."

Mana agrees but then responds.

"But if she was just lying to us, then what was the reason? Only three of us were on the ground when she made her move. I don't think she's involved with this group."

They decide to leave it for the moment as the important thing right now is maintaining the ship. The Oa group on the other hand, they are moving throughout the ship without any real direction, but Ellen then says something.

"You know, I could swear that I've seen this design somewhere before. But where?"

Akane points out.

"Maybe you saw a design for it while working for DEM."

Ellen shakes her head and adds.

"I feel like it was more recently, but I still can't tell at the moment."

Tohka pays attention to Ellen's move as she still doesn't completely trust her. Luckily, the three are starting to hear people talking as they approach what appears to be a bridge that connects from one corridor to another and below the bridge is a lake of green toxic waste. On the other side of this bridge is a familiar foe, Geri. She stands at the opposite side of this bridge with her swords ready. Akane immediately says.

"So, you're in league with the crew of the Oa!"

Geri walks closer as she declares.

"I won't let you proceed, you're going to drown in the waste here, DIE!"

Geri now has a dark aura around her body of negative energy. She charges at the trio as Tohka and Akane both swing their swords which Geri blocks with ease as she then says with a smile.

"I'll make the Oa your grave!"

Akane rebukes.

"No way, we're getting our friends back."

Tohka adds.

"Yeah, so you get out of our way."

Ellen then flies around and strikes Geri with her own sword and sends her into a wall, but she actually floats now as her aura surrounds her and she tells them.

"You're struggling for nothing. I won't lose to you!"

Geri dashes towards Ellen as the latter replies.

"You may very well die here yourself."

Geri simply smirks and replies.

"Not a bad idea, so just hurry up and die!"

Tohka gets in and attacks Geri as she is cut across the back by Sandalphon and retorts.

"Shut up, we're not dying!"

Akane then readies a fireball and adds.

"Yeah, I'll pass on the mutual suicide thing; I'll die on my own time, thanks."

Geri readies herself as she holds her stance and blocks the oncoming fireballs as she finally states.

"Fine! You're all gonna die here anyway."

Geri then swings her swords rapidly as a vortex of purple wind is created and she slices it releasing a series of wind blades as she calls out.

"Dragon Tempest!"

The blades hit Akane and Tohka as they are fast, but Ellen protects herself with a territory. Akane heals quickly and Tohka gets up a few seconds after as the attack didn't hurt too bad. Akane can't help but wonder.

"When did she get this good? I don't think she was this tough when Mana and Aki fought her."

Geri then actually warps from place to place as she has her sights set on Ellen right now. Ellen puts up another territory to protect herself, but as she does, the territory turns purple as she is impaled at three angles by shadow swords causing her to bleed. She doesn't hurt too badly, but Geri explains while warping around.

"Territory won't work on me. I've mastered abilities to counter that crap."

She then appears in front of Ellen and performs a X slash, which Ellen manages to barely block as Geri's physical strength is great. They collide until Ellen is pressed against a wall and then Geri is ready for a killing blow when Tohka slashes Geri across the back. Geri then jumps back to the bridge as she recovers a little. Akane then uses this opportunity to streak across the bridge with her sword in hand as she calls out.

"Burning Phoenix!"

The streak leaves a stretch of erupting flames as Geri is burned a bit and her hat even catches fire as it falls and she gets on her knees from tacking too much damage. She then thinks to herself.

" _Damn it! I guess my body isn't used to negative mana…I can't even warp away."_

Geri doesn't notice as her hat falls off and her face is finally revealed. Akane and Ellen are shocked as Geri looks exactly like Mana except her hair is longer and her eyes are azure. Geri finally notices and then tries covering her face with her hands as she says.

"Don't you dare look at me!"

Akane wonders.

"Another brainwashed Mana?"

Ellen then looks at Geri's tattoo and disagrees as she is in disbelief as she says.

"It can't be…."

Tohka and Akane look at Ellen and she asks Geri, while Mana and Kotori hear with the communicators.

"Are you one of DEMs clones?"

Geri cringes upon hearing this as Mana wants to know about this as Ellen explains to everyone.

"Before my daughter was born, Isaac threw around the idea of cloning wizards, but he backed out when he had the idea to reproduce me instead."

The tattoo on Geri's forehead, CWM-M is actually an acronym as Geri states her true name.

"Cloned Wizard Model: Mana, that was my birth name. But I was considered inferior, after being told I was perfect, a flawless model of the original. But they didn't mean it, I was trash they could throw away."

Tohka steps in and tell Geri.

"Don't think of yourself like that. You're not trash, DEM is just full of cruel people."

Geri stands up and proclaims.

"I'm not interested in the naïve babbling of woman who has people who need her."

Ellen tries to help Geri by offering her hand and says.

"Please, let me try to make amends for whatever DEM did to you."

Geri slaps Ellen's hand away and retorts.

"No, you can never undo what they did to me. I'm only alive because Shinra can use me. But he at least gave me a purpose and cared for me."

Geri backs up and then further states.

"Mana Takamiya, I know you're listening. Know that I intend to kill you, and that your existence is nothing but a burden on everyone. Do us all a favor and kill yourself before I do."

Geri then crushes a crystal in her hands and then disappears into a cloud of darkness as she has this look of utter hatred. Ellen cringes a bit as she then says.

"DEM….I guess I'll never truly escape that part of my life."

Tohka then approaches Ellen and tells her.

"You're not that woman anymore. I can at least say that about you."

On the other end in the ship, Mana feels bad about Geri and she wonders.

"Is she the only one? Or did the director create more?"

Kotori doesn't know how to feel, except absolute disgust at DEM for this. Ellen, Akane, and Tohka can't dwell on this as they proceed across the bridge and make their way to the deck.


	45. Chapter 45

Ch.44 Shadows

Akane, Tohka, and Ellen are now on the deck area of the Oa and are surrounded by scientists wearing black coats and hoods that obscure their faces and there is even an elevated throne in the center with the captain seated in what appears to be a throne of some kind. Akane then shouts.

"Hey, Face Ache, get down here so I can kick your ass!"

The captain of the Oa jumps from his throne and is a colossus of a man with a long cape, but he otherwise looks just like the transmission, cloaked in shadow. He raises his fists as he prepares to fight and a bunch of robots appear from out of nowhere. The three get ready to fight, but then, everyone backs down. In fact, every member of the Oa crew, including the captain kneels down. The three wonder about this until they see Miya sitting on the ledge of the elevated area as she has annoyed look on her face as she proclaims.

"I guess my design was flawed. My plan was to infiltrate your group, but the idea was unoriginal as my peers suggested that I directly confront you. Seeing as how we were figured out by a certain wizard."

Miya then points over to another part of the room as they see Origami tied up and covered in cuts and bruises as she appears to have breathing problems. Kotori and Mana hear this as Kotori puts on a transmission through the Oa's screen and proclaims.

"So this is what DEM has come to? Now they're letting Spirits sign their paychecks?"

Miya looks at the screen with disbelief as she asks.

"Signing their paychecks? You mean me?"

Miya laughs a little as she then tells everyone.

"Oh, this is more than that!"

The entire crew of the Oa then seemingly turn into mass of blackness and then they gather into a single area behind Miya as she assumes a spirit form where she looks exactly like Nia, but then her Astral dress turns dark and tears a bit and takes on the form of a dark cloth that adorns her chest and waist as it almost resembles web exposing her midriff and a dark veil covers her eyes that can be seen through and her hair and her arms are adorned with this same dark cloth. She gives a little monologue as she states.

"I am Miya Itsuka, the seer of the Akashic, and lord-sovereign of the Oa. Mankind was given light by the angels, and they feared the darkness of the devils. When the angels reappeared, they cowered and hid, and now devils walk the earth, so what will they do? Worship that same darkness? Such hypocrisy…I will correct this transgression!"

The Oa's roof area then disappears and creates a giant platform as the giant mass of Shadow takes the form of a mechanical angel of darkness with nine wings and stands on all fours. Miya then floats as she rides on this creature's back with a smile as she commands it. It is then that Kotori sees the readouts of negative energy. Everyone is shocked by this revelation, as they are in the presence of a Spirit Child who has mastered her inverse form. Her presence is terrifying and gives a feeling of hatred. To prepare further, Akane assumes her own Spirit form as she is getting nervous. Ellen isn't any better as she recalls when she fought inverse Tohka years ago and it didn't end very well. Miya doesn't take any of them seriously as she simply smiles casually and then says something to each of them.

"You, Akane Itsuka, age 16, daughter of the Spirit Kotori Itsuka otherwise known as Efreet. Your codename is Ifrit, but you detest it and prefer the much more cringe-worthy title Flame Empress. Right now, you're wondering if you could control an Inverse form, and you can if you manage to obtain it. Ellen, you're thinking about how you can leave here alive. Tohka Yatogami, you're only concerned with finding Shido and your would-be son Akihiko."

The three are mad because Miya hit it on the mark. She can read them like a book and she continues.

"But if you three think that I'm anything like Saori, you're sadly or happily mistaken. I detest that girl and wish that Shinra would cut ties with her. I'm also not interested in finding any your missing companions."

Miya is just mocking them and they know it. She just sits and looks at them as they wait for her to make the first move. Back at the Bifrost, Kotori and Mana want to help but Mana can't stand up to Miya, and Kotori's powers are with Shido who isn't here anymore. They only have two people they could ask, but don't want to.

However, Shiori and Miyuki walk to the bridge as Shiori is feeling a lot better after her emotional roller coaster. They immediately see the scene from the monitor and the massive ship in front of them. Shiori immediately asks.

"What has happened while I was sulking?"

Kotori and Mana don't know how to tell her what has happened, but she does notice her friends on the ship confronting a massive shadow monster. Miyuki doesn't waste any time despite her young age as she thinks she's some kind of superhero and runs into the green entranceway that the others used to get there. She even manages to elude the others as they don't notice this. It isn't until Shiori turns around and notices that Miyuki is missing that Shiori runs through the warp to look for her.

In the Oa, Shiori arrives in the same dark area that the group first arrived in, but she takes caution by entering her Spirit Form and thinks.

" _I may not understand how my powers work yet, but I'll be sure to try."_

She equips her guitar and then manages to summon her two guardians as they float behind her. Seeing their faces makes her smile as they remind her that her real mother is perfectly fine. She then starts running towards the direction of the deck to find Miyuki.

The group fighting against Miya isn't doing well as Tohka is already pinned to a well while Akane is taking damage that she just heals and Ellen is trying to think of a strategy. Miya's shadow mech is using its wings like a series of spears that move fast and it has a face that has crackles of dark energy from it. Miya is unfazed by any attempts as she actually pulls out her comic book and starts reading it again. Tohka attempts to make another move despite being pinned to the wall, but Miya tells her while her nose in her book.

"I wouldn't move from there, Tohka. If you attempt to attack me, I'll simply attack you with my spears and I'll aim for your uterus."

Tohka doesn't fully understand what that means, but Ellen tells her.

"She's going to make it so you can't have children, Tohka!"

This causes Tohka to immediately back off. Akane then jumps and attempts to do a dashing punch, but the mech opens its mouth and unleashes a wave of dark energy from its mouth than shoots Akane into the sky but she manages to aim enough to stay on the ship as she falls to the ground. She is, however, exhausted as her mana feels diminished after healing this much. Miya then explains.

"I specifically chose to have bladed weapons on my ship to deplete your reserves. With a little more push, you'll die from exhaustion."

Ellen can't think of a countermeasure since Miya is predicting her moves. Miya also something to explain to Ellen.

"Even with Alexander, you won't be able to harm me. I know how to beat you, Mathers or Itsuka. It really makes no difference to me, I'm just here to do my mission, and before anyone asks, no it's not to kidnap a Spirit Child."

As Miya is ready to explain something more, she feels her left hand getting colder. She inspects it and she has frost around her hands, which she scraps off with her shadows. She wonders and then says.

"So, we have more party members joining the fray."

Everone looks towards the entrance of the deck and sees Miyuki in her Astral Dress with an icy aura around her body as she proclaims with Yoshinon.

"Leave them alone, you cur!"

Yoshinon looks at Miyuki and asks.

"Uh, what is a cur?"

Miyuki shakes her head as she answers.

"I don't know. I just heard it on TV a couple of times."

During their confusion, Miya attempts to swipe at Miyuki, but her ice suddenly appears to block the attack from the shadow creature. Miyuki doesn't even pay any attention as she is talking with Yoshinon during this. Miya tries to read her powers, but can't find anything even with her powers. Miya grits her teeth at this and thinks.

" _I can read Akane's power, but I can't read this child's?"_

Miya then prepares for a rather ruthless assault as she has several sharp prongs form on her monster's back as it takes on a vicious look. Miyuki looks at this as she starts tearing up from the monstrous image before her as she starts to cry from fear. The aura surrounding her becomes more intense as Miya and the others feel a drastic drop in temperature as the others can suddenly see their breaths. Just like Yoshino, Miyuki can lose control of her ice when she becomes upset. Akane then notices the ground begin to freeze up and Origami is in the middle of this area. Akane then rushes to Origami and Miya allows it. Akane uses what little mana she has left to create a heated area to avoid letting Origami freeze to death.

Miyuki's ice then begins following up the walls. Miya's beast then has its feet frozen to the ground as she doesn't react fast enough to make a counter. Ellen notices Miya getting distracted from the ice and uses this opportunity to get Tohka unpinned from the wall as she slices through the mech's spike to get her down. Miya tries to make a counter, but her Mech's arms are now frozen. Miya becomes irritated at this turn of events and sets her sights on Miyuki in full as she gathers more shadows and creates a single long spear and stabs it at Miyuki. However, just as the spears are ready to launch, two figures appear and let out sonic shouts as a third figure appears and grabs Miyuki.

With everyone now in relative safety, the tide has officially turned. The figure reveals herself as Shiori as she holds a crying Miyuki with one arm while her guitar in the other. Shiori then nuzzles Miyuki's face and gently says.

"Don't cry, Miyuki. I'm here with you."

Miyuki sees Shiori and calms down as she says.

"I was so scared, Miss Shiori. That monster is big and scary."

Shiori manages to comfort Miyuki and this in turn causes the icy room to gradually return to normal. Shiori then set Miyuki down and then thinks for a second and wonders.

"People do say my music inspires them, so I wonder…"

Shiori then begins playing her guitar rapidly and makes a heroic sounding melody and that is when something really amazing happens. Shiroi's body begins glowing gold as her mana seeps from her body and then disperses and flows into Ellen, Akane, and Tohka as they have renewed confidence, vigor, and strength. Miya senses this as Akane appears next to her as the latter states.

"I've been waiting for this."

She punches Miya and knocks her off of the mech and Tohka uses her Sandalphon along with Ellen's saber to dash past the mech and slice it into four sections. Miya hits the ground and declares.

"They can't be this strong!"

She stands up again and notices that she has a bloody nose. Miya realizes she can't win as things are now and states.

"I know when I'm beaten. I won't even try at this point."

Miya then summons a portal of darkness as she walks into it while Akane makes a vain attempt to punch her again. She states.

"Damn it! And I was so close to learning how that works."

Before anything can get too emotional, the ship begins to shake. Without Miya to maintain it, the Oa is disappearing, so the group grabs Origami and attempts to run to the entrance point, but the ship disappears before anyone can get to it. They fall through the skies over the city with the wind against their bodies. Normally, Spirits can fly, but everyone is mostly exhausted. Ellen still has her flight capabilities as she holds onto Tohka and attempts to go for the others , but can't. Luckily, Mana is here to save the day as she manages to get the teleporter to get everyone back into the ship unharmed. Mana sighs with relief as she succeeds in saving everyone.

They lost Shido, Aki, and Kurumi in this time, but found and saved Origami. Tohka looks at Ellen with a faint smile and says.

"Thank you for saving back there, Ellen."

Ellen smiles back and replies.

"Anything for a friend, Tohka."

Tohka nods a bit, but still doesn't completely trust Ellen. Origami is still out, so she is brought to the sick bay by Ellen. They need to get Hiro back since he is still with Yuzuru and Kaguya. Shiori is comforting Miyuki still after her scare.

 **Prime Timeline**

Miya appears in a dark room in Tengu city in an unknown building and has tissue in her nose. She sits down in a chair as she is tired from her battle. She is then greeted by an ally who she at times regrets her alliance with, Saori. She laughs a little at Miya's bloody nose as she asks.

"Did the flame bitch punch you, Ms. Marvel?"

Miya looks at Saori with an irritated expression as she retorts.

"I told you not to call me that. Besides, it's your fault I had to reveal myself instead of going into their group."

Saori shrugs as she tells her.

"You're just jealous because I did what you were supposed to do, but better and faster."

Miya smiles and asks.

"Did you really? I quickly thought of another plan while you were stealing my objective."

Saori wonders what her cohort is talking about, but will have to wait.


	46. Chapter 46

CH.45 A day in Waiting

Origami wakes up a little later in the sick bay with her injuries bandaged, her bruises covered with medicine, and her body feeling tired. She does stand up and finds herself wearing a pink smock while her clothes are being washed. She looks around and walks out of the sick bay as she is more than capable of walking. She gets it the bridge where Mana, Kotori, Ellen, and Akane are as they are talking about dinner at the moment. Mana notices her and says.

"Oh, you finally woke up."

Origami nods with a slight smile as she replies.

"Yeah, I'm glad to at least be in a friendly environment, mostly (looks at Kotori)."

She then looks at Ellen, becomes distrustful, and takes a more defensive stance as she asks.

"What is she doing here?"

Ellen raises her hand in a non-threatening gesture as she explains.

"I'm not the Ellen you fought."

Origami backs off as she thinks that is the case considering Kotori and a girl who looks like Kotori is aboard the ship with them. Mana takes it upon herself to explain the situation to Origami, but just the basics without mentioning the Spirit Children and their progress. This being because that amount of information would be difficult to process to someone who just woke up.

Below in the city, Hiro, and Tohka are here to report what happened on the Oa to the twins as they deserve to know what the situation is. Tohka tells them while they sit on a couch.

"I'm very sorry we couldn't get Sora back. We thought we could find her, but she's not in this dimension anymore apparently from what Kotori told me."

Kaguya is trembling and Yuzuru is visibly upset too despite her stoic look. Tohka and Hiro took the harder job having to tell the twins about the situation. Yuzuru then demands.

"Demand, Take me with you! I want to get my daughter back. I still have power left."

Hiro immediately snaps as he tells her.

"No you won't! You're not getting involved with us!"

Tohka, Yuzuru, and Kaguya look at Hiro with slight shock at the loudness of his voice. He doesn't even seem to realize how loud he was. He then apologizes as Kaguya breaks the tension as she stands and offers.

"How about I get us some iced tea. Iced tea is relaxing."

Tohka stands up and says.

"Yeah, I'll help with the glasses and tray."

The two then leave the room leaving Hiro and Yuzuru in the same room. Yuzuru looks at Hiro as he trembles from remembering what happened as he reaches for his bottle which is starting to get low as he pulls out some more pills as swallows them. Yuzuru looks at him and asks him as bluntly as possible.

"Did the Yuzuru that you know die?"

Hiro takes a breath and nods. He then tells her the story of what happened despite how painful it is. Yuzuru looks uneasy as she hears his story of her heroism, but the same time she appears to be happy. She doesn't respond beyond the faint smile as Hiro finishes. Before anything else can be said, Kaguya and Tohka re-enter the room with a tray full of glasses and a pitcher of tea. They enjoy a little time of drinking some tea and some quick chatter as it is time to go.

Before leaving, Tohka promises the two.

"We'll find Sora, and we'll bring her back to you both. We won't stop until we do."

Before leaving out the door, Hiro walks up to Yuzuru, hugs her to her surprise, and says to her.

"Don't die until you're an old lady surrounded by your great grandchildren, Yuzuru. Please, don't die until then."

Hiro doesn't let go for at least a minute as this may be the last time he ever sees Yuzuru in any capacity. Kaguya wonders what that was about, but Yuzuru dismisses it. They have to check on the other children anyway. Yuzuru walks up to Kenji's room to check on him. When she looks, she sees a lump under his sheets and thinks he is just asleep after a hard day.

Aboard the ship, Hiro and Tohka have returned and Kotori is reading a Chinese restaurant menu as this is what they decided on, without Shido cooking, they have little options and nobody really feels like it. Kotori and Ellen will pick up the food and get some sodas for everyone as they only have juice and water on the ship. Everyone is frustrated too, they found the last person, Origami, and it got ruined by Saori. They only thing they had left to was defeat the masterminds behind this, and now their journey is forced to go on longer.

Hiro decides to make the most of things as he is also in the sick bay to change his bandages when Origami spots him. He decides to be polite with her and greets her.

"Hello, you must be a younger version of my mother."

Origami looks confused as she hasn't been brought up to speed as she asks.

"So, who are you exactly?"

Hiro realizes his error and explains what he knows to her while the others ready for dinner. Kotori and Ellen return a little while later with a lot of food, which Ellen thankfully paid for, and a case of soda with some straws. Everyone gets a plate of food ready, except Hiro and Origami as they are still talking. He ends with where they are at. Origami thinks for a minute and replies to whole thing.

"So Shido and I are meant to be together."

Hiro shakes his head as he tells her.

"It isn't guaranteed. He could end up with a Spirit for all I know. But the Shido of my time, my father, chose you."

Origami gets a rather uneasy look as she is now faced with her situation and clenches her fist.

"Now I have to work with Spirits. I couldn't feel more sick right now."

Hiro pulls out one of his blades as he threatens her.

"If you hurt a Spirit, I'll kill you where you stand."

Origami is speechless as her own son just threatened her life. She thinks he's been brainwashed by them are something. He reminds her.

"I'm a colonel in the AST, so don't think of me as a light threat."

With harsh feelings in the air, the two decide to get something to eat, but Hiro decides to add.

"I teamed up with a woman who I murdered, so don't think you're the only one with hard feelings."

Hiro and Origami arrive in the kitchen and fill up their plates. Hiro leaves to a different area to eat with Tohka and Kotori. Origami stays behind as she grabs a can of cola and drinks it with a straw. Shiori arrives in the kitchen to get more food for her and Miyuki. Shiori is friendly with Origami as she immediately greets her.

"Hey there, Origami. I'm glad to see you're walking around and eating."

Origami turns and looks at her without really knowing who she is, but Shiori introduces herself.

"Oh, sorry, I'm Shiori Itsuka. My mom is Miku Izayoi, I think that's her maiden name. I already know you, so don't worry."

Origami takes a sip of her drink and replies.

"Oh, so you're the daughter of that girl that tried to murder Shido and turned the whole city against him?"

That was harsh, but Shiori remains positive as she replies.

"Well, yeah, but my mom…"

Origami interrupts her and states.

"Just so we're clear, I have no interest in helping or befriending anyone on this ship. I already have problems with Ellen and Spirits being on this ship. So it'd be in both of our best interests to stay away from each other. When we find Shido, that'll be it for our alliance."

Shiori feels a little hurt as the Origami she knows is nicer. But she still offers.

"Listen, if you want to, you're welcome to join me and Miyuki for eating dinner."

Origami instantly passes as Shiori turns around and prepares to leave. Origami takes another sip through her straw and then something catches her eye in the corner. She notices a couple of cockroaches on the table as she looks at it. Shiori turns around to say.

"My offer still remain, Ori…"

She is distracted as she sees Origami munches on something with loud crunches as she stops and replies.

"Not interested."

Shiori laughs a little as she says.

"You must really like those crunchy eggrolls huh?"

She turns to face Shiori, and the latter notices something small, like a bug leg with a piece of exoskeleton, sticking out of Origami's mouth as she licks the rest of it up and chews some more before swallowing. Shiori is a little disgusted but rationalizes.

" _No, that must have been a bean sprout with some meat or something."_

Origami smiles and replies.

"Yeah, I love eggrolls."

Shiori still feels uneasy as she leaves the kitchen area to rejoin Miyuki. Hiro returns to the bridge where he dines with Tohka and Kotori as their presence brings him peace. Origami ultimately eats alone in the sickbay as she detects someone hiding in the room. She states.

"I know you're hiding in here."

A locker opens up and Kenji exits the locker. He is wearing his uniform still as he immediately ran here. Origami looks at him and states.

"So, you must be Yuzuru's son."

Kenji doesn't deny it. Origami did help Yuzuru in the past, so she does at least recognize her son. She isn't ready to accept a lie, so Kenji explains that he snuck on board when Kotori was beamed back up to the ship. He's been hiding ever since. Kotori didn't notice him and no one looked at the monitors when Kotori was teleported back. He's been hiding on the ship ever since. Origami agrees not to say anything for the moment as she'd rather not cause a stir. The entire party is having their own problems, but they are calm at the moment.

 **Unknown Time**

Kurumi and Shido arrive in a dark part of the city where it is clearly night time. Kurumi is carrying Shido over her shoulder as he is still catatonic from the incident with Saori. They have nowhere to go, and nothing to eat. Kurumi sits Shido against a wall as he isn't moving at all. Kurumi thinks for a moment as her sudden leap through timelines leaves her without a plan. She contemplates just killing someone and take their residence as a temporary home until a more viable plan is available. Returning to their own time, if this isn't it, would just be a waste of time with Saori's power changing like it did. Before she can do anything, Shido manages to utter.

"Don't…..kill anyone…..Kurumi."

Kurumi sighs and tells him.

"Even catatonic, you're a real annoyance. But I suppose nothing I should keep you happy."

She picks him up again and thinks about getting him to his home in this timeline, and possibly find more allies, if at all.


	47. Chapter 47

Ch.46 The Future That Could Have Been PT.1

The Bifrost arrives in the next timeline with Mana and Ellen at the helm while the others are resting. The loss of Shido and Aki at the moment is very disheartening, but hopefully they can find a lead here. Aki left the previous timeline with his new powers, and Shido with Kurumi could show up any time, but they have to be careful with their movements due to Saori's damage.

Ellen and Mana look at the night sky in this new timeline with a bit of discomfort since it was just night when they left the last timeline. Kotori joins them as she can't sleep very well because of what happened, and Tohka isn't doing any better. Kotori walks up to the controls of her normal station and asks.

"So, any view down below yet?"

Mana answers with seriousness as she hasn't done any real recon yet.

"No, I just wanted some time to calm my nerves. Shido is gone and I'm worried about him."

Kotori agrees as she simply replies.

"Yeah, it isn't the same without him, and I miss him."

Ellen adds her two cents as she feels the same way.

"Indeed. I miss my husband very much, but we've gotten this far, and we can't give up now."

Mana and Kotori agree with Ellen completely as Shido wouldn't give up. Then they get a transmission on their system from an unknown source as an older voice requests.

"If this is a DEM crew, we need dire assistance. Spirit….out…of…con…"

The transmission ends as an explosion is heard outside and the ship can detect a very powerful source of negative energy. In a reflex, the three ladies pilot the ship away from this area and use the cloak with shields to avoid danger. The others run to the bridge as they heard the explosion as they are still in their sleeping attire. This is odd for Tohka as she is actually now wearing her full Astral Dress as she enters the room and Kotori can suddenly feel her power returning. This is an immediate concern for the group as they turn the monitors to show the city below before they left, and it is in ruin as smoke comes from all over and fires are scattered everywhere. The entire group is worried because of this as Hiro looks in horror at the city he cherishes burn. Miyuki is horrified by this and is prepared to start crying, but Shiori comforts her as she takes her to her room and sooth her before anything bad can happen inside the ship.

Tohka looks in horror as she asks.

"What in word was that?"

Thinking ahead, Ellen sends out a transmission to any ships within a certain radius as she asks.

"If anyone can hear this, we need information on the situation in Tengu City."

Akane goes to her station to be ready for anything as that attack wasn't a good sign of things in this world. The sudden appearance of Tohka and Kotori's powers would normally be the first concern, but the state of the city and the explosion is what everyone is worried about. They are in a safe area at least so they decide to wait for a time until they can at least hope for a transmission.

 **Base Timeline**

Shinra is returning from a date with Miku as he smiles upon taking off his Shiori wig as he had to do that, but he didn't mind. He is walking around ready to start hitting on the other girls and he hears something that catches his attention. He hears a crunching noise from a nearby area, specifically, inside of a bakery eating hard bread. Shinra walks to the shop and he smiles and says to himself.

"How lucky could I possibly get…"

He spots Akihiko, who randomly appeared in this timeline as Sora lies next to him as she passed out from lack of air, but he let go before she suffocated to death. He looks at Shinra with a blank expression as he can sense Shinra's powers as he states.

"You posses the same power as us…"

Aki approaches the man as he appears to be inspecting him. Shinra then lightly touches the young man's forehead and he gets a vision of what is happening internally. He sees inverse Tohka sitting on the ground while holding Akihiko in his new inverse form as she simply rubs his head and appears to be saying something to him. Shinra then states.

"So, the inversion consumed his mind so it wouldn't break... interesting."

He then looks at Sora and gets an idea.

 **? Timeline**

Ellen and the others are waiting for a transmission and it has been an hour. They are giving up hope for the transmission and they finally hear one, but it's fuzzy.

"If…..informati….come…..A….T….Ba…ship….head….soon….."

A map appears on the monitor that is clearly directions to an island, and they follow it. The ship takes another hour to get there and it is out of the way, but they need answers to move through the city because they could find someone they need down there.

While on the way, Tohka takes this time to think about why her powers returned. Shiori and Miyuki are going to stay on the ship regardless of what decision is made due to the very apparent danger they could face so they simply spend time together. Hiro's injuries are not fully healed, but he can at least remove most of his bandages and fight again at a higher capacity.

The Bifrost flies over to an island and it appears normal, but a small door on the surface opens up, it isn't nearly big enough for a ship. The group prepares to warp down to go inside, but something catches their attention first, the first message they got about a possible Spirit. With this in mind, Ellen makes a plan for everyone.

"Okay, so what'll we'll do is this. Me, Hiro, Mana, and Origami will go down to that place and gather intel. Kotori and Tohka will stay on the ship, if they don't fight or use their powers they should be fine with the ship's cloak. DEM built this ship to contain Spirits. The others will be backup in an emergency. If the ship is attacked while we're gone, don't hesitate to escape, but contact us first."

Hiro, Origami, and Mana all agree to the plan as Origami is now changed into a in wire suit from the reserved outfits aboard the ship to look more the part as Ellen, and Mana do the same with Hiro maintaining his Colonel uniform. The four of them are then warped down as they are the intel team. The others merely wait as this timeline is probably one of the most dangerous they've been too and if any of the others are here, it would be disastrous.

Below on the island, the four inspect the area for any sort of traps as they enter the opening which leads to a staircase that is apparently dark. Origami is the first to walk down as she doesn't appear to be worried about anything. The others follow her, but Mana asks.

"Isn't a little brazen to go down a staircase without thinking, Origami?"

Origami simply answers while walking.

"Yes, but we have little choice. If an enemy shows up, the four of us should be more than enough to win."

That's a good point as they continue walking. Hiro seems to be the most on edge about the whole thing since a Spirit is most likely involved. They venture further down until they come across a door with a lock on the door. Hiro recognizes the design from his own timeline and offers to input the password, and he actually gets it correct. He explains before they question.

"I'm higher ranked than anyone is AST before it expanded. I therefore have access to all the passwords in the bases. I think this one used ours from my base for some reason."

They simply walk past the door, and immediately they aren't greeted with warm welcomes, but Hiro is at the mercy of over a dozen wizards with rifles and swords pointed at him. A voice then shouts.

"That's enough, he's human. He couldn't sneak in otherwise."

The wizards back down as someone makes her presence known. The group then notices an older Ryouko Kusakabe, and she looks a bit different from her younger self that Mana and Ellen know of. She has longer hair that is tied with a loose white string, a patch of white on her right bang, and she even has an eye band on her right eye. She looks and is rather shocked by the appearance of Origami, Mana, and even Ellen as she mutters in shock.

"The three of you are alive? But….no it has to be a coincidence. All three of them are dead."

She walks up to Hiro and inspects him a bit as she tells him.

"You look just like a guy I used to know. He was a good kid that had his problems, but a good sport none the less."

Ellen and Mana aren't surprised by the news of their deaths in this world as they kind of expected it from most other worlds, but Origami's is a little surprising. In fact, Origami herself isn't fazed by this news at all. She just stands there with an uncaring expression. Hiro is the one who seems the most fazed about their deaths, except Ellen of course. Ryouko walks up to a monitor as she introduces herself formally.

"I'm Ryouko Kusakabe, the leader of the resistance force that used to be the Anti Spirit Team or the AST for short."

Resistance force is what catches their ears. Ryouko pushes a button on a computer as she explains to them.

"Yeah, we used to be a fully functioning group, but then that Spirit appeared one year ago, and I had to come out of retirement since no one else could do it but it's good to see there still others out there with equipment. Especially since we just lost a whole squad today."

The squad she is referring to could have been that ship from earlier that apparently got blown up. This is more troubling to them as Spirit appears to be on a rampage if things are this bad. Ryouko then pulls up an image of the Spirit in question and they wonder who it could be. Ryouko, while looking up the image, explains.

"We need as much help as we can get at this point. We're getting more desperate by the day to stop this thing. I thought only female Spirits existed like Princess of Hermit. Hell, I'd prefer if Nightmare were the one we'd be dealing with, but this guy is in whole different league than any of them."

A male Spirit is something that they haven't heard of and this catches their interest. When Ryouko pulls up the image of the Spirit, everyone, except Origami, gasps at the image.

Aboard the ship, the group who stayed behind look at the monitors to relieve their boredom for waiting on the others below, but this is interrupted when they get a warning signal on the monitors as a signal of massive negative energy reads on the scales at an alarming rate. They turn on the monitors as a streak of darkness appears in the distance and is getting closer to them. Kotori tries to focus in on the appearance as a figure is in the middle. Tohka and Kotori then feel the presence because of their abilities, and they notice the appearance before Akane as they utter.

"It can't be…"

Akane looks at the monitors, and the figure in the darkness is Hiro, but he is the Spirit that heading their way, but his power is that of a normal Spirit who's inversed and they don't know what's going on.

In the base, Ryouko introduces the Spirit as Hiro's photo is on screen in an inverse form.

"This is Spirit we codenamed Nemesis, because he seems to hate humans more than any other Spirit we've ever seen."

Ellen and Mana look at Hiro with disbelief. His inversed form is rather unique as he is wearing a kendo Hakama that is tattered and ragged with thorn-like tears and he is shirtless with what appears to be black cloth around his chest in tatters. He also has empty blue eyes and a scar on his chest where his heart is. The base then gets the alarm themselves as they scatter for a defense. This revelation is a bit much, especially Hiro as they wonder what happened in this time.


	48. Chapter 48

Ch.47 The Future that Could have Been PT.2

The Bifrost is attempting to get away from the approaching Spirit as it has a clear danger level and a menacing presence. The crew is trying to communicate with others in the base, but the connection can't go through. With little choice, they ready to leave, but the ship refuses to respond as well. The Spirit then appears in front of the ship. Akane and Kotori then ready to fight as they direct Tohka to stay inside and protect the others. Akane assumes her Spirit form as she and Kotori go outside to confront the Spirit.

Outside the ship, Akane and Kotori float as the Spirit hovers above their ship with intrigue as he merely states.

"Oh, so their relying on fake Spirits to stop me now?"

Akane faintly remembers Hiro saying something similar to that when she fought him. Kotori has her Camael ready, but is unsure about fighting since Shido isn't around to stop her if things go crazy, but she's better off outside where none of the others will get in the way if that happens. Hiro smiles as he then says.

"Pitiful creatures humans are, all they do exceed at attempting to become more godly."

He then summons a bracelet that appears the be a thorny crown and his right hand and forearm, where the bracelet it, gathers shadows around itself as a blade of pure darkness forms that appears to be made of energy. He then summons a flock of dark orbs that have holes in them and resemble eyes. He smirks and states.

"Satan: Fencer Formation!"

Akane is shocked by this as she thinks.

" _He has access to a Demon King?"_

Kotori readies herself as does Akane.

Inside the base, the entire team is setting up their barriers, walls, and all sorts of defenses. Their leader, Ryouko, is giving orders to her troops, and then everything falls silent as they retreat deeper in the base. Ryouko normally doesn't give this order as she wants them out of earshot when looks at the group and asks.

"Okay, who are you people? I may not get it, but you're all people I know. Mana Takamiya, Ellen Mira Mathers, Origami Tobiichi, and Hiro Itsuka."

The four are surprised as Ryouko is quick to get it, a little. Ellen simply replies.

"My name is Ellen Mira Mathers Itsuka, thank you."

Ryouko shrugs as she gets back to the point.

"Doesn't matter to me. What I want to know is why you four are back among the mortals again, especially you, Hiro."

Hiro looks down, and Mana gets straight to the point as she briefly explains.

"Look, we can't go into the major details, but we really need to know what happened in this world. What caused the city to turn into that?"

Ryouko silences the alarm for security purposes as the wizards are far enough away now. She looks at the monitor again, and pulls Hiro's picture as she explains.

"Hiro Itsuka was his name when he was human. He was a good kid who loved his parents and his friends. Then, he went on a mission called Operation DULLAHAN…"

Hiro interrupts her as he interjects.

"It was a mission that a few people knew about. I was sent in to collect data on DEM's illegal and inhumane experiments then return to base, and I got it."

Ryouko looks up the screen as she continues typing.

"Yeah, you did. I read the report when I had the chance. You brought back the severed head of Artemisia Bell Ashcroft and they probed her still living brain for info."

Mana and Ellen look at Hiro with surprise, but they aren't ones to judge so they don't say anything. Origami looks indifferent to this as she just listens to Ryouko as she explains more.

"When the war broke out, things were hellish to say the least. Hiro was Spirit Soldier is what we called him."

A Spirit Soldier? They all think, but Ryouko swiftly explains.

"We don't know how, but Hiro was born with the powers of a Spirit, but he could control it, so we let him into the AST as a special soldier, and man was he strong. He killed all the best Wizards DEM had with his hard training and tactical prowess, he was a soldier people looked up to, but then something awful happened…."

Ryouko is having trouble saying it, but she powers through it.

"Hiro was so charismatic that he convinced the other Spirits, including Nightmare, to help us and we accepted it. We lost both Princess and Berserk in that war, but the biggest loss to Hiro was when he was fighting against Adeptus 1 Ellen Mira Mathers."

Hiro can see the differences already, but he fought against Ellen onboard a ship to England and the fight lasted for five days without rest before they arrived in England. Ryouko starts tearing up as she explains.

"Hiro was fighting Ellen in the city as she got through somehow, and they fighting….and then, Hiro fired a laser that she dodged and two civilians were hit instead. He went to go check on them, and his heart snapped when he realized that the two civilians he accidently killed were his dad and pregnant mother. When that happened, everybody lost. He turned into that thing we call Nemesis and he rampaged the city, killed almost everybody, and then he tortured Ellen and Isaac Westcott until they weren't capable of thought anymore. He just…turned into that thing…."

Mana has her hand over her mouth, Ellen gasps, and Hiro has a shocked expression from this information. Ryouko then punches the console as she clearly feels regret over that event as she pounds it hard and states.

"Why were they even there!? They should have been underground like the rest of the civilians."

The alarm goes off again as Ryouko pulls up the monitor outside as she sees Nemesis outside with a smile as he has just successfully defeated both Akane and Kotori as their bodies are on the Bifrost, but are cloaked by the ship's defenses. Nemisis then float to the ship's base as he grabs Akane by the collar of her dress as he moves his blade to her face he asks.

"How did you both obtain Efreet's powers?"

Akane is gasping for air, but then Hiro simply says.

"It doesn't really matter…nothing matters."

Kotori then gets up as she shouts.

"Let her go!"

She then readies Camael for its megido cannon. She points it him as she gathers mana to fire it. Nemesis then drops Akane as he needs to think of a counter move. Suddenly, Tohka warps on the scene next to Kotori as she needs the help. Upon seeing Tohka, Nemesis becomes shocked as his attention is immediately drawn to her as he gasps and then he clenches his head in pain and begins yelling out in pain. Tohka then gets Kotori to stop charging her cannon as something is happening to him. Nemesis' body then begins emitting negative energy as he rises into the sky as he then disappears into a dark cloud and then it vanishes.

This goes noticed in the base as Ryouko wonders.

"What happened there? He freaked out and ran away…"

Tohka didn't appear on the screen due to the cloak so Ryouko has no idea what happened, but Hiro, Ellen, and Mana have a good of what happened. Hiro thinks to himself.

" _So, he also has it, probably worse than me then."_

The alarms on both sides stop due to Nemesis running away. Ryouko sighs with relief as she talks into a microphone and announces.

"Good work, everyone. He's gone, so return to your stations."

Hiro and the others decide that they need to get back to the ship to check on the others. But as they do, Ryouko stops them as she hands Ellen something, a transmitter and explains.

"Look, if you find anything out, like where the other spirits are, you let us know. We're all that's left to fight without them."

Apparently the other Spirits disappeared after the war and nobody knows where they went. Hiro convinced the people of his time that they simply left the world and that's why they're gone, but this world has no idea. With this, the group leaves the base as they need to prepare for Nemesis as he will have to be fought sooner or later if they plan to continue the search. The resistance group has no knowledge of what's happening in the city, so they wouldn't know of any weird activity outside the destruction.

Aboard the Bifrost, Kotori and Akane have most of their injuries healed already due to their powers, but Nemesis was too powerful for the both of them put together. They don't know how well Tohka would have helped either since her own inverse form is already incredibly dangerous. They see the others below and they're signaling to be warped up and are brought back to the ship.

A little while later, Ellen and Mana explain to Tohka, Kotori, and Akane about what happened. Shiori, Kenji, and Miyuki aren't around for this as they don't need be involved with such a dangerous mission. After hearing this, Akane looks at her hand and thinks.

" _Is it possible for me and the rest to obtain an inverse form?...Maybe I could learn to control it like Miya."_

She walks away and heads to Miyuki's room to check on her and make a hypothesis. As Akane gets closer, Shiori is seen exiting Miyuki's room as she puts up her finger in "quiet" gesture as Miyuki has fallen asleep after being sung to sleep. Shiori then quietly says to Akane.

"Miyuki is such a good girl. It really pains me to know we had to take her from her mother. She really misses her."

Miyuki is very young and she is attached to Yoshino. Akane was going to check on her for a reassurance on the power spectrum, but now just feels bad as she hates using Miyuki for her data. She never thought of Miyuki as a specimen, but a person who she could get data from without doing anything mean or hurtful, just observation. Still concerned, Akane enters Miyuki's room anyway, but just for concern purposes.

Upon entering the room, Akane finds a scene that surprises her, but not in a bad way. She sees Miyuki in her Astral Dress and a woman, who greatly resembles a taller Yoshino, wearing a light-green robe-like dress as she gently rubs Miyuki's head with a loving smile as she looks at Akane and gives the same "quiet" gesture. Akane instantly realizes that she is in fact looking at Miyuki's guardian, but doesn't know when it awakened. Rather, Akane simply exits the room as she has more thinking to do as Miyuki may not be aware this yet. Akane and Aki awakened their guardians through fighting, Shiori's two awakened during a contest when she needed to win the most, and Saori's must have awakened from similar circumstances.

Akane returns to the bridge as Hiro has a plan to defeat Nemesis as he talks to Ellen about his plan.

"If my hunch if correct, then there is one thing we can do, but I'll need our remaining bracelet to do it. I'll also need your help, Ellen. Please, this may be our only way."

Ellen nods as she agrees with his plan. They will find what they need while Mana and the others go into the city to search and probably fight with Nemesis. With their plan set in motion, the group makes their move without telling the resistance group. However, Ryouko did in fact hear everything as she had it set to hear everything on the ship as she somberly says to herself.

"So, that's how it's gonna be. Hiro, I understand. But it looks like our final mission will be coming sooner than I thought."

Ryouko smiles a bit as she readies her small battalion for a fight.

 **Unknown Time**

Kurumi and Shido have taken shelter in an empty apartment that nobody is living in with a futon that she stole from a store and a few bags of food that she also took due to leaving her purse on the Bifrost. Shido is still unresponsive to anything she says or does, even stripping in front of him as she tried to get any response from him.

She is spoon feeding him some soup as he does have muscle reflexes to swallow and she's had to clean him for at least six days, which is how long they've been here. Kurumi is simply waiting at the moment for the others to show up as traveling around should only be done if the enemy shows up. She has also attempted to find any friendly places, but can't find anything at the moment.

A little bored, Kurumi decides to leave for a minute to get some fresh air and to think about the situation. She ventures around the school area as it may lead her to a Spirit child and a potential ally, despite it being evening. She looks around while wearing a school uniform that she forms around herself as she walks around the school. As she walks around the gates with the evening sun creating an orange scene, Kurumi wonders while biting her nail.

" _What was she trying to prove? Or is she planning another trap….tch, why did I have to an even more cynical daughter than the others?"_

While thinking, Kurumi then hears a voice saying.

"Hey, young lady, where have you been?"

Kurumi turns around and sees a police vehicle with two cops in it as one looks at a picture and says.

"The hair is a different color, but everything else checks out. It has to be her."

Kurumi puts on an innocent look as she asks.

"What is the problem, officers?"

One of the cops gets out of the car as he approaches her and says.

"You're family has been worried sick about you, Saori. Get in the car, and we'll take you home."

Kurumi keeps her usual look as she thinks.

" _Saori? Could this mean that…"_

To prove her theory, Kurumi gets into the car without argument as she is driven to a house, but on the way, the other cop says.

"You really gave them a scare. Having your daughter missing for a month isn't easy for parents. You should apologize for scaring them."

Kurumi simply rides with a smile as she replies.

"I really shouldn't do such things, should I?"

The police officers simply smile and tell her to keep out of trouble. Within a few minutes, Kurumi is escorted to a familiar house as she recognizes it slightly from her brief time here before. She is then escorted to the door by the officers as they knock on the door, and a woman answers the door, the older Kurumi who is Saori's mother, and she has a hanky in her hand as she looks a little sad. Kurumi is relieved as she has found her friendly place in this time.


	49. Chapter 49

Ch.48 The Future that Could Have been Pt.3

The group is preparing for their upcoming confrontation with Nemesis as Hiro and Ellen already left somewhere with the remaining time bracelet. Tohka, Kotori, Akane, and Mana are ready for a fight, but Origami intends to stay behind as she still doesn't have a realizer to use. She was offered one at the base, but declined the offer for some reason, so she'll pilot the ship with instruction from the others when needed. Shiori and Miyuki don't have any role in this fight as a Nemesis appears to be even more dangerous than Miya.

At the resistance base, Ryouko is preparing her forces a fight as they gear up and she gives her instructions to them.

"Listen up, Team. We're all that's left to fight against Nemesis. I know his power is freighting, and he's killed plenty of others before. But we can't give up, and we'll die before surrendering. Now, let's get ready because no matter what, this will be our final mission!"

The others announce.

"Yes, Major Kusakabe!"

Ryouko prefers the title of captain as that's what she used to, but major sounds fine as the entire team gears up for their battle. As they move out by equipping their realizers, which are incredibly dangerous from using parts of LICORICE for additional power. Ryouko equips her own special realizer which is completely jet black as the arm parts resemble dragon claws, the feet resemble squirrel feet, and the wings resemble eagle wings with a hawk-shaped eye piece on her eyeband. This is a realizer made as a last resort by Asgard Electronics made from pieces of DEM and AST realizers, and is codenamed RATATHRFOLGGER. As the greatest wizard currently alive, Ryouko is the only person qualified to wield this last resort weapon. She and her team prepare themselves for their final mission as they gather in a dock area and fly in a formation.

Back aboard the ship, Kotori and Akane get an idea of how to fight against Hiro based on how he reacted to seeing Tohka. Kotori vocalizes the idea to Tohka and Mana as she explains.

"Look, Hiro, or Nemesis, whatever…he clearly couldn't handle himself when he saw Tohka. So I'm thinking that we should bring Kenji with us too, since he is Yuzuru's son."

Mana hears the idea as she adds.

"Yeah, he does look like her enough, so maybe he can get a similar reaction."

Tohka immediately disagrees with the idea as she states.

"It's not a bad idea, but we can't just send him off with someone that dangerous out there. Kenji doesn't have the same powers as Shido does. If he gets shot like that one time…."

Origami actually doesn't say anything or even react to it like she normally would. She simply continues working at the ship's helm. She does, however, ask the question.

"I'd worry more about why Tohka and Kotori have their powers again."

Tohka and Kotori look at their astral dresses again and wonder about that too since Kotori hasn't lost control yet and Tohka only had a small portion of her power left since Shido isn't around. Though Akane and Kotori do have a good plan, Tohka is ultimately correct as Kenji has no way to defend himself nor any assist abilities. Origami mans the helm of the ship as the others waste no time as they are warped outside and fly up to the sky.

Knowing that splitting up is a bad idea, they decide to group up and each constantly looks at directions until they can find Nemesis. However, as they search for Nemesis, something unexpected happens. The sound of thunder is heard and a bunch of lightning bolts strike the ground from the sky. This causes them to suddenly disband as the lightning seems to follow them. They instantly wonder if Nemesis can be behind this.

Then, even more lightning strikes in the center of the area as a figure appears in it and it is definitely not Nemesis. The ship can't tell who it either because of the light, but this figure definitely is another inversed Spirit. However, they are not expecting what they witness upon the light fading. Wearing a dark-purple half skirt around her waist with sharps edges which drops to the knees and opens around her thighs, a small cape with dark blue lines, chains around her legs and arms and her dress covering her groin and chest area being appeared to be made of dark-blue and dark-purple belts with similar boots knee-high boots that are black with purple and blue lines running across them. Her eyes empty dark blue as she looks at the group. The group is in disbelief as the person they are looking at is Sora. Her hair appears to have grown to back-length in a short time as she has it flow free and her bangs are messy as they flow freely around her face and a broken lock dangles from her collar which is loose around her neck.

Tohka and the others are in disbelief as Kotori states.

"She was a regular human just yesterday. How can she have gained this much power in such a short time?"

As the others are in disbelief at this, a voice says.

"How indeed?"

They look around and are surprised by the person they see. They see the woman in white from before as she descends and wraps her arms around Sora's neck as mockingly explains.

"Your little shinning prince brought to my master. He gave the power a Spirit Child should have, and she loved it."

Tohka hears the shinning prince part as she asks.

"Are you talking about Aki? What did you do to my Aki!?"

Kokoro, the woman in white, looks at Tohka with a mocking smile as she asks.

"YOUR Aki? Since when was he born from YOUR womb?"

Tohka immediately rebukes.

"He's my son regardless of what time he's from. Because I…."

Kokoro interrupts as she tells Tohka.

"Don't kid yourself, Tohka. Shido could very much end up with Origami, Kurumi, or even the Yamai twins and have Sora here."

Tohka doesn't flinch as she doesn't care who this woman is due to not being with the group when they met her. She holds her sword ready, but Kotori tells her.

"Tohka, watch out for this woman. She's incredibly dangerous."

Kokoro simply smirks as she says.

"But I'm not here to fight. Rather, I'm here with a solution to your problems."

Kotori holds her Camael with clear distrust and Tohka does the same with her Sandalphon. Mana readies her realizer for combat and is the one to say.

"I don't think anyone is willing to believe you."

Akane isn't among this distrust as Kokoro looks at her and replies.

"Oh, so no one includes Ifrit over here?"

Akane looks at the ground for a second. Kokoro lets go of Sora as she approaches Akane but Kotori tries interfering as she attempts to charge her. Kokoro's hair turns light blue for a few seconds as she summons a pillar of ice that surrounds Kotori's body completely. She approaches Akane without giving off any violence as she tells the Spirit Child.

"I heard from Miya that you want an Inverse form to use. The thing is, I can make happen for you right here and now."

Akane's eyes widen as she asks.

"You can?"

Kotori is striking at the ice from inside to break free; Mana can't bring herself to attack as she can't determine what this woman will do. Tohka charges as she shouts.

"Akane, don't listen to her! She did something to Aki, and she's probably going to do something to you!"

Tohka swings her Sandalphon at Kokoro, who counters as she sprouts a purple wing with cream-colored spines and her hair turns to a dark plum color. She then shouts.

"Sandalphon!"

Kokoro then plunges her hands into the ground and a portal appears as she pulls out her own Sandalphon much to the shock of the others as this is the second angel she's summoned after Zafkiel. Kokoro wields it like Tohka as the two begin clashing as sword sparks fly without either taking control. The thing is, Kokoro is clearly holding back despite having the same prowess as Tohka with the sword. Seeing this, Mana attempts to help, but as she moves, a lightning strike hits at her feet and barely misses. She looks at Sora, who is staring at her with those blank eyes as she shakes her head. Kokoro then gets at a stalemate as she and Tohka both back away without any injuries. Kokoro turns to Akane again and hands her a strange object, a dark spherical object that feels like a piece of fruit. Kokoro explains.

"This is fruit of the qliphoth , a concentrated source of negative mana that we created fairly recently. It was made for you, Akane Itsuka."

Holding this fruit is enticing as Akane can feel the power coming from it. Kokoro further explains.

"We'd have preferred the method with Aki and his sword, but my master insisted you were ready for it already."

Kokoro smiles as Akane believes it based on what she's seen. She opens her mouth and fully ready to take a bite as she thinks.

"Control it…control…"

Kokoro smiles bigger as Akane's mouth is about to take a bite. Kotori is desperately trying to break free to stop it, Tohka is trying to tell Akane to stop, and Mana is attempting to get closer to plain stop the action, but the lightning bolts keep coming. They are in panic as Akane isn't stopping. She is dangerously close to eating it, but then someone grabs her arm stops her. Frustrated, she looks and demands.

"What's the big idea?"

She turns and sees her guardian, who has a concerned look on her face as she shakes her head in disapproval. Akane snaps at her and demands.

"Hey, stay out of my business!"

The guardian takes the fruit puts it in her mouth as she swallows it whole much to the surprise of everybody. Akane is especially shocked at this due to her anger and desire for that power as she grits her teeth and snaps.

"Why did you do that!? That was my one shot at an inverse form! I could control it! I know I could, and you screwed it up for me!"

The guardian appears to be a little sad as she reaches towards Akane, who smacks the hand and says.

"Don't touch me. I don't want to see you again! You screwed up everything!"

The guardian becomes plain sad as she actually sheds a tear, but it's red like her mana as she fades away. Kokoro is curious at this development as she doesn't know what will happen since the guardian swallowed the fruit. She then shrugs and looks at Sora to state.

"They clearly don't want our help. Sora, let us leave."

Sora nods as she and Kokoro disappear into a dark portal that Sora summons. Akane is clearly frustrated still as Kotori breaks free from the ice as she is relieved that Akane was stopped. Through this somber moment, a sudden fright happens as something crashes a little ways next to them. Mana hovers over to see what it is, and it is a resistance wizard with a hole in her stomach and is in clear pain as she tilts her up a bit. Mana is immediately worried as she tells the wizard.

"Hey, we're gonna get you some help for that wound."

The wizard coughs up some blood as she replies.

"No time…help the major….Nemesis too strong…."

The wizard closes her eyes as she dies right there in Mana's arms. Mana looks at the others, and all of them, except Akane, are of the same mind as they follow where the wizard came from since it is painfully clear the resistance group has already found Nemesis and started the fight.

 **Kurumi Timeline**

Kurumi has made contact with her adult counterpart who had Saori. She has already explained herself and moved Shido to Saori's vacant room to sleep on the bed. The two are talking about the plan for the moment (to avoid confusion the adult **Kurumi** will be written in bold letters). **Kurumi** is now being told by her younger self about Saori being the serial killer that the police were searching for, but her surprise as she says.

"Saori was the killer that…"

Her older self simply interrupts with.

"I knew the whole time she was shooter."

 **Kurumi** is blowing on a hot cup of tea as she says this nonchalantly and takes a sip. Kurumi shouldn't be surprised by this revelation as her older self simply explains.

"Saori was a shy and timid girl for most of her life. She did her best to avoid trouble, get good grades, and be a good daughter. My husband has always thought highly of her, but some time ago, I noticed she was unhappy about something at school, so I looked into it with nobody around. I discovered…"

Kurumi adds.

"That some people were blackmailing her. She told me about this."

 **Kurumi** nods as she continues.

"Normally, I would have killed those students and her teacher without a second thought, but I don't have any of my powers anymore. Whatever I had left is now in this little one inside of me."

 **Kurumi** begins rubbing her stomach which has slightly swollen in the last month. Kurumi then wonders about what happened in that time to make Saori's attitude change. However, what her older self says may have the key to everything as she actually begins to sob a little as she remembers.

"I was beginning to worry that Saori was thinking of committing suicide for a while. I didn't do anything because I wasn't sure."

She wipes her face with a handkerchief. Kurumi is seeing how much her older self loves her children. But she still asks.

"If you knew Saori was the shooter, why didn't you tell anyone about it?"

 **Kurumi** takes a sip and smiles a little as she answers.

"Because I didn't care she was the shooter. The lives of the people she killed mean absolutely nothing to me. When she killed them, I simply smiled as I waited for her to come home."

This doesn't surprise Kurumi in the slightest as she would imagine that to be the case. **Kurumi** further explains.

"I know how you feel. I know better than anyone else about your plans, your methods, and your feelings. I can't force you to become me, and I don't really want to. I can just say that being the person I've become isn't what I originally imagined. But the day Shido told me he loved me, I felt warmer than ever in my life. Bringing six children into the world wasn't easy, but it was worth it to me. I love my family, and they are the only people in the world I care about or will care about."

As she explains this, a person comes home. He is wearing a plain black suit with a red tie holding a briefcase with the same blue hair and amber-brown eyes as he announces.

"I'm home, Kurumi."

 **Kurumi** stands up with a smile as walks over and greets her husband home with a kiss. He happily hugs her as well and says.

"It's always good to get home to you every day, Kurumi. Especially since we're having a hard time right now."

He pulls back and mentions.

"But the good news is I got the raise we need."

 **Kurumi** smiles as she is happy about that. With the new baby on the way, the house needs a little more income. **Kurumi** then mentions to her husband.

"Shido, I have something to talk to you about…."

The time has come to fully make the arrangements for Kurumi and Shido as they need help from these two for the time being.


	50. Chapter 50

Ch.49 The Future that could have been PT.4

The group is rushing towards the fight and they see more dead wizards on the way. It causes Akane to become increasingly jealous now because Nemesis is strong enough to kill wizards so quickly. She isn't happy they're dead, but that the power gap is so great.

The see the darkness from before as they soar to where it is the most present, the location of Nemesis. Tohka and Kotori are the most uneasy along with Mana, who can't believe how different this future is compared to the one she saw with a flourishing city filled with people who live in a peaceful time without worries and without war. It begs the question.

" _Is this all because he was born a Spirit Child?"_

Akane doesn't have an answer for Nemesis' powers because her Origami is human all the way. However, Kotori does have a slight answer.

"I think it's possible that the Origami of this time became a Spirit at some point. Don't forget that I became one when I was younger."

It is then that Kotori and Tohka's eyes go blank for a moment. Out of concern, Mana stops her flying to check on them. Akane keeps going as her mind is somewhere else. Mana floats over to Kotori and starts shaking her a little and asks.

"Kotori, are you okay?"

She shakes a little harder, and then Kotori's eyes go back to normal as she puts her hand to her head and looks like she has a headache. She then realizes what just happened as she explains.

"I just saw what happened….the me of this time. She isn't here anymore."

Mana, curious, looks at Tohka who is having the same reaction as she says the same thing. The difference being, she expresses despair as she says.

"She was talking to me. She's sad that things turned out this way. That saving Origami meant nothing in the end."

Kotori nods a bit as she explains.

"My other self said to stop him. She said she'd trust me with her remaining power to help him, but she doesn't want us to fight."

Tohka adds to that explanation.

"To put an end to his revenge, that's all they want."

Mana feels a little sad as she feels that Nemesis is still her nephew. The other Spirit Children are, but Hiro is different to her as her other self meant the world to him and that this creates a special bond between them. To her, killing Hiro is like killing her brother.

It is then that a blue portal opens up and Hiro emerges from it as Ellen appears with someone following her. Hiro has a serious expression as he asks.

"How long were we gone?"

To the others, it has only been a little while, and Hiro sighs with relief as he says.

"It's been about five days to us."

Ellen smiles with relief as well because their guest is a person who they hope will get Nemesis to stop or at least slow him down. Hiro equips his Mana eater as he prepares to move on ahead as he explains.

"Keep her safe, and I'll go on ahead to help with the distraction. We've only got one shot at this."

Hiro then begins running at super fast speeds to take the lead and leave the others to guard duty.

At a different part of the city, the old DEM building, Ryouko is fighting with Nemesis in a one on one fight as the bodies of her remaining wizards are scattered around the building. She manages to hold her own as she wields a black saber with a white laser edge. Nemesis is wielding his dark sword emitting from his hand. They clash relentlessly as neither is backing down as Nemesis comments.

"For a human, you're quite skilled."

Ryouko continues her assault as she retorts.

"Well who taught you? This old gal!"

Nemesis shrugs as he replies.

"Heh, doesn't really matter."

Ryouko grits her teeth as she asks.

"When did you turn into such a nihilist?"

Nemesis continues his assault, but as they clash some more, Nemesis summons a second blade on the opposite hand as he blocks an attack from Akane as she has a flaming fist attack ready, but Nemesis' bits appear and fire a dark straight laser at Akane's chest and bypass her flame and make a hole in her stomach, but she regenerates that as Nemesis' eyes widen as he proclaims.

"Theif!"

He sends his bits at Ryouko, who has to constantly deflect them and thus keeps her distracted. Nemesis then puts away one of his swords as he reaches and grabs Akane by the throat, and then proceeds to slam her on the ground as he snaps at her for some reason.

"I thought you had only a small part of Efreet's powers, but you must have stolen it from her!"

Akane feels pain from the impact and can't regenerate it since it is purely external injuries with damaging the tissue. Nemesis then uses his foot to turn her on her back. Ryouko watches helplessly as she wants to help a clear ally in this matter, but can't. Akane's guardian refuses to appear despite her clearly being in pain. She thinks as she tries to get up.

" _I beat him before…and I can do it again…"_

She tries to get up, but Nemesis elbows her back to the ground and states.

"Efreet was my aunt you sick thief. She used it to help us during the war on DEM. How dare you use her powers as your own!"

Akane's eyes begin glowing red as her flames turn from blue to red as she is losing control, but doesn't care right now. She unleashes a wave of fire to move Nemesis away, but he emits a dark wall that shields him from the fire. She becomes surprised despite lsing control and then he grabs her by the throat again and proceeds to strangle her with clear fury in his eyes and tells her.

"I'm going to watch you die, with my hands around your thieving neck! You won't be able to heal yourself if your body isn't damaged."

Akane is trying to get any air possible through the strangulation and then begins to gather fire into her hands as she grabs Nemesis' arms to burn him off, but he completely ignores the pain as she can't move. Nemesis explains to her with his anger.

"I went through a lot trouble to keep them away from this world, I even trapped them in the dimensional gap for protection, and you somehow got it.

As Akane tries to do anything with her vision fading, a voice demands.

"Hey, put her down!"

Nemesis turns and sees Hiro, but he's in his full armor state with his head covered. He moves with blinding speed as he dodges the lasers that are currently being aimed at him as she manages a blow on his evil counterpart by cutting him across the back and he lets go of Akane after that as she gasps for air with her eyes still being red. She gets a little dizzy from this and then passes out from the trauma and reverts to her normal form. Hiro looks at Akane and becomes worried.

" _If she couldn't beat him, I don't have a prayer. But I need to buy time."_

Nemesis summons back his bits as he explains.

"I've had enough pointless fighting. This whole world is doomed anyway."

Ryouko and Hiro's eyes widen as they wonder what he means. Nemesis snaps his fingers as a gigantic purple sphere appears in the sky as he explains.

"It took me a while, but I finally gathered most of the Spirits powers and converted them into this, a spacial quake of titanic proportions."

The size of the sphere is appears to be the size of a large moon and it gives off intense power like no one has ever seen. Hiro and Ryouko both argue the same thing.

"You can't do that, if you do then…"

Nemesis then tells them

"Yes, in a matter of minutes, this spacial quake will have reached the proper proximity to pull this world into oblivion!"

Hiro then steps forward and claims.

"You can't do something that horrible. It isn't in you."

Nemesis then demands.

"What do you know about me?"

Hiro removes his helmet as he explains.

" I know because it isn't in me, and you are me."

Nemesis looks surprised and then wonders.

"How are you…No, it doesn't matter. Because I am more "YOU" than you will ever admit!"

Hiro then argues.

"Then maybe you're just being overtaken by the negative power. I have to know for sure…(becomes more serious) I have to reach the real Hiro Itsuka, inside of you. The one who loves Spirits, but also cares about the human people around him, the one the people believe in."

Nemesis' eyes become intense as he declares.

"He's gone for good!"

Hiro has a little disbelief in his eyes as he says.

"Is he? I know he won't listen to me, but I brought someone he might want to talk to."

Ellen floats up to the building with someone in her arms who stands on the surface of the battle ground. Nemesis becomes immediately shock as he blurts out.

"No…it..it can't be!"

The person introduces herself a little as she says.

"It is me, Hero."

Mana, but an older one with long hair that she lets dangle as she is wearing a blue robe with a white jacket for warmth around her. Nemesis walks over as he asks with complete shock.

"Auntie Mana,….is it really you."

He suddenly gets a happy memory of her when he was child and they went fishing together as she helps him reel in a big fish and explains to him.

"Come on, Hiro. I thought you were good at this."

At the time, Hiro was a boastful child and claims.

"Come on, Auntie Mana. You know this fish is too big for one person to handle."

Without him noticing, Mana stops helping and Hiro reels in the fish by himself and it is big, and she says.

"Look at that, you did it."

Hiro looks at her and says.

"Well yeah, but I only got it because of you, Aunti Mana."

Mana shakes her head and says.

"No, you did it because you were strong enough to do it. I helped a little, but you did because you have the strength and heart of a hero. I know, I'll call you like that from now on, my Hero."

With the flashback ending, Mana walks over to her nephew and expresses empathy for him as she says.

"I know everything. I know you've had a very hard time since I died in this time."

His eyes return to their normal amber-brown color as she further says.

"But I want you to know, that right now, I'm here for you, and matter what, I love you."

Nemesis sniffles a bit and replies.

"I love you too….auntie Mana…(falls to his knees) I love you too."

Mana gets on her knees as well and asks.

"Hero, do you remember what it means to be a hero?"

Nemesis sniffles and replies.

"Never give up, and remember what matters most, and never forgetting."

Hiro words it with them as this is something that he never forgot, even during the war. Mana then tells Nemesis.

"Hero, there is an evil inside of you, and you need to expel. For you and the world."

Nemesis' eyes widen as he expresses guilt.

"What have I done!?"

He looks at the sky and says.

"The people of this world counted on me."

Ryouko is shocked as her Hiro is back, but he has to stop that spacial quake as he says.

"I know what I have to do….I have to apologize to everyone for all the bad stuff I did."

Nemesis flies to sky and tries to stop the spacial quake manually as he can't do it otherwise. Mana asks.

"What is he doing?"

Ryouko walks over and explains.

"I think he's trying to use his own power to disperse the spacial quake and make it move directions."

Nemesis starts screaming from the pain as he cries out.

"FORGIVE ME!"

Suddenly, his body turns purple and then he vaporizes. Ryouko is shocked by this as she simply gazes at the sky as it turns back to normal with the spacial quake being stopped. Hiro looks at the ground in anger at himself. After some moments of registering what happened, Ryouko says out of anger.

"I should have helped him. Maybe if we both tried, we could have…"

She then feels Mana's hand as she shakes her head and explains.

"No, he did what he thought was right for everyone, including himself."

She then walks back to Hiro and says.

"I'm happy that I could help, Hero, and I'm very proud of you."

Hiro himself is welling up a bit as he hugs her and says.

"I'm glad to see you one more time, Auntie. It won't be easy, but at least I'll have you in my heart."

Below the building, where Tohka, Kotori, and Ellen are, Ellen explains.

"When he saw how Nemesis reacted to Tohka, he knew that he must have felt the same affection towards the others. Hiro cherished his Mana more than anyone, and that she'd be able to reach him."

Mana turns towards Ellen and asks.

"Why not just send me?"

Ellen turns and answers.

"Because you don't know him like she did. It took us a while, but we found a Mana who survived in a timeline where Hiro was born. He turned out to be a kinder man, but he was overall the same as our friend."

A little later, the older Mana is escorted back to her home by Ellen and Tohka while Akane and Kotori return to the ship. Hiro is helping Ryouko bury her comrades and make graves for them. They bury them within an hour with Hiro's speed and her determination. She even makes a grave for her Hiro.

She stands at his grave for an hour before she expresses guilt over his fate.

"I got him back, but I couldn't stop him. Damn it, Itsuka. Why didn't you stay? I'm sure we could have rebuilt with you still here."

Hiro approaches her as he asks.

"What are planning on doing, coach?"

Ryouko looks at the sky again and replies.

"I can't tell you how long I've waited to be called that again. I wanted to hear Hiro say to me again more than anything else. He was a good man turned bad by that war."

She looks at Hiro and asks.

"How's the city in your time?"

Hiro explains to her what his time is like, about Spirit day, the AST, and about the new laws. Ryouko smiles and comments with a peaceful smile.

"Sounds like paradise to me."

Hiro then makes an offer.

"Coach, would you like to come with me and live in my world?"

Ryouko looks around, thinks, and replies.

"You know, it would be a cliché if I simply answered "no because this is MY world". I want to say that more than anything, but I can't bear it. Truth is, I was thinking about just killing myself when we dug those graves and join my comrades. But the thing is… I can't face them again… especially Tobiichi. I failed her son, and my best student."

She looks at the sky and shouts.

"You hear that, Tobiichi. I'm telling you to hate me with all your heart! I wanted to save your kid, but I couldn't, and I can't stand it."

She looks at Hiro and gives her answer.

"Yeah, I'll come with you. I don't give a damn about this wasteland anymore. I'm tired of the destruction, tired of death, and tired overall."

Hiro nods, but she then says.

"But you guys came through for us and stopped Nemesis. I know you guys have your own fight; otherwise you wouldn't have come here. My last job before retirement is putting an end to your fight too."

Hiro is happy as he's always wanted to fight alongside his coach, and they shake hands to seal their alliance. Tohka and Kotori still have their powers from their counterparts in this timeline and are grateful for not having to fight Nemesis.

 **Base Timeline DEM Headquarters**

Isaac is debating on something as he has Ellen, Collette, and Jessica. He is wondering about his next move as Shinra and Yushin don't want to use his wizards anymore. He gives them new orders, but gives Ellen a little gift before they depart for the next timeline.


	51. Chapter 51

CH.50 The Truth of Saori

In the Kurumi timeline, Kurumi has somewhat taken over Saori's place temporarily and says her differences in appearance is a new fashion choice. Some people aren't convinced though because of her personality. But the boys don't seem to mind or notice. Fortunately, Saori's identical brother and sister, Reiji and Asami, are more than willing to help. They also give pointers towards Saori's outside behavior to make the ruse more convincing.

At lunch, Kurumi alongside her children of this time eat lunch on the roof. A homemade lunch from her adult self and uses Saori's box for it. While eating, Kurumi asks her two children.

"So, when I saw you both last time, were you both working for Saori, or was she lying?"

Asami begins to shiver a little as she puts her hands to her knees. Reiji has a smiliar response because they are both terrified of their sister. Reiji is the one to talk as Asami is apparently having a bad flashback.

"Saori threatened us. Asami was the first she and she went after me some time later. She made us get info on people in the city that she planned to kill."

Asami calms a little, but just enough to talk and adds.

"Then she told us to help her with a new issue shortly after you and the others appeared. She held a gun to Emi's head and told us she'd kill her if we didn't do what she said. Emi was sleeping and didn't see this, but it was still horrible."

Kurumi finds that one move odd. Even being violent, Saori doesn't seem the type to kill her own family. Her older self has told stories of Saori's love for her precious younger siblings. Reiji and Asami are both paralyzed from fear to remember much apart from what they told her, so Kurumi will have to find out the truth the easy way.

After school, Kurumi returns to her house and goes into Saori's room. Shido is still in bed without moving or talking. He smells a little like soap because he recently had a bath with help from **Kurumi** while her younger self was at school. Kurumi searches the house for a recent picture of Saori, something she recently got before leaving. The best she can find is a photo that was taken at Miki's birthday which is dated about a month before she left. Kurumi takes it, holds it up to her head, and uses Yud to look into Saori's past. What she sees surprises her a bit.

 **Months Ago**

Saori's past starts at a time when she was still a loving and caring girl. She gets good grades, works hard, and loves her family dearly. She doesn't have that many friends because of her timid nature, but she does like the few she has.

In this memory, she is handing in a paper she was working on for her homeroom class and that's when her teacher, a rather handsome man, compliments her again.

"That's very good, Saori. You're one of the first to turn this in."

Saori smiles a bit, but that changes when the teacher puts his hand on her arm a little and it makes her uncomfortable as she pulls her back a bit. After this, she goes home with a little uneasiness over that, but doesn't think too much of it. Things like this continued for a while but not too bad.

However, one evening, Saori was called into the homeroom after clean up to talk about something in her report. It is the evening and she is parting with her friends to go into the room. There, Saori spots her teacher looking out the window as the rest of the students going home. She politely asks.

"What is it that you wanted to talk to me about?"

She has a smile on her face. The teacher walks to her and says.

"I noticed you smile whenever I talk good about you."

Saori keeps her smile and replies.

"Well that's because I like being complimented by people."

The man gets a bit too close and shakes his head as he states.

"No, it's because you like me. I can tell."

Saori gets a little uneasy as she smiles more faintly and says.

"No, I just like it….."

As she says this, her teacher stands up and gets uncomfortably close as he says in an uneasy way.

"It's fine, I understand…we both have certain needs."

He touches Saori's face and she responds by moving his arm away, but then things get a little violent when grips her hand and says in a little more threatening manner.

"I said we BOTH have needs."

Saori then gets her hand away and she proceeds to run away in fear as she runs without grabbing her bag and stops running once she is out of the school. She stops at the gate and needs to catch her breath near the fence. She looks back at the school with anxiety and thinks to herself.

" _Okay, Saori, just smile, go home, and hopefully things will be better in the morning."_

Saori quietly returns home and does her work, eats dinner with her family with a smile, and goes about her night like she normally would, but what happened is still in her mind. She hasn't felt that afraid in her life.

She is currently doing her homework in her room with a can of soda and a sandwich for a snack while working. She gets a text message from a friend asking her about a question on it, to which she answers what she got, and continues. While working, a knock comes at her door. Saori answers it and her father is standing outside and she sweetly asks.

"What do you want, father?"

Shido looks a little worried despite having a smile as he asks her with concern.

"I wanted to see how you were doing. You seemed out of it at dinner tonight. So I wanted to ask you if you're feeling okay. Did something happen at school or something?"

Saori denies this and simply states that it must be because she is simply tired from all of her school work. Shido is about to leave but assures her.

"If you any troubles at all, you can always tell me or your mom."

Saori smiles and tells her father that she loves him before he leaves her. Saori returns to her homework and finds more texts from her two friends about homework answers and she answers them all. Saori falls asleep after finishing and tries to get her mind off what happened.

A few days pass with nothing particular happening, nobody says anything, and Saori has gotten her mind off what a happened. However, after class one day, she handed back the paper she turned in and the grade on it is abysmal. She approaches her teacher about this paper immediately and says.

"Sensei, why did you give me a failing grade? Even if it isn't perfect, my paper exceeded the minimum length and I had at least six sources. I should have at least gotten something better than this."

The teacher simply says with a cold look.

"Well maybe you should have done your work better."

Saori lets it go despite feeling awful about a failing grade. She does fine in her other classes, but the one she has continual failings in is the one. A little later, about five days later, her mother is contacted by the school. She receives a phone call from a councilor who noticed the recent failing grades in one of her classes. Kurumi talks with the councilor for about five or so minutes while she is putting away groceries from her recent store trip.

At dinner, the whole family is attending like normal, and Kurumi brings up the phone call while nursing Koji after some of the others have left to go their separate ways for the evening, except Shido who needs to talk as well. The other children are long gone to their rooms or out. Kurumi starts off by explaining.

"Saori, we received a call today from your school about a certain class you've been declining in."

Saori becomes nervous hearing this, but Shido tries to be comforting when he asks her.

"Saori, what's wrong? Are you just stressed out? Is it because of some boy? We're just trying to figure out what's going on."

Saori doesn't want to say anything out of fear of what could happen. So she denies it and makes up an excuse when she answers.

"The work is just getting gradually harder, so I'm just trying to figure out how to do better."

Shido doesn't like that excuse and expresses this.

"Saori, you're too smart for that. I'm not foolish to the think that it's just the work. Up till now, you've been doing great on your homework and assignments. We've gotten notices that your excelling in everything else."

Kurumi nods and states.

"Saori, if the work is in fact the problem, then talk to your teacher, or maybe work a little harder."

Saori nods and leaves the table. Shido and Kurumi are still worried about her, but they decide to give her some more time out of trust for her. Saori sits in her room with a pen in her hand pondering what to do, but her face turns a little red when she nods to herself.

The next day after school, Saori stands in front of her teacher's office and is very nervous and puts her hand on the handle, pulls back a little, but walks inside. Little does she know, she is being followed by two people with a camera. She leaves the school a half hour later with an exhausted look on her face. She didn't do "that" with him, but it was still very uncomfortable. This goes on for two weeks of being harassed and touched while her grades go back to normal.

Things didn't get better either when two of her friends call her to the roof of the school after one of these sessions. Two of them, a boy and a girl, as they hold photos to her and show faked text messages, the ones she sent as homework answers, but modified to be dirty. They tell her they'll make it seem as if that she's having an elicit relationship with her teacher consensually. She tries to get the photos and phone from the two, but they push her away easily. It also ends with her being punched in the face and told she has to get blackmail material on her sister and mother or they'll look the photos and messages. They coldly leave her for the time being as she begins panicking of what to do. She then feels her phone vibrate and she notices a text that reads.

" _I'm not satisfied with just touching anymore. If you don't come to my place within the next three days, I'll fail you in my class. Also, I'll say that you've been harassing me after class."_

Saori begins panicking more as she breaks into tears while saying to herself.

"What did I do to deserve this?...I just wanted to be a good student and friend…."

She starts crying alone on the roof and is just gradually drowning in despair. She leaves the school after this but can't help but feel like she has no way out. While walking, she spots a building under construction that goes high up. She looks at the ground and then walks towards it. It's currently empty, high up, and no one is really around. She decides to climb it up to the highest point. At the highest point, she can see the ground from this high up and she simply thinks.

" _If I die…they can't hurt me or my family at all."_

Saori leans toward the ledge and cries some more as she falls off the ledge and as she falls, she sees images of her mother smiling and a black shadow coats her body but Saori closes her eyes as she falls, and then, the sound of a splat is heard.

Saori lays on the ground unconscious with her skull crushed from the impact, her neck broken, and is bleeding all over the ground. Her vision is blurred from this as she didn't die instantly like she thought she would, and she hears a gunshot and she is shot by something. However, instead of it hurting, her skull forms back, her neck straightens, and her bleeding stops. Saori sits up and notices that she is now dressed in her Astral Dress as she looks around her body at her new clothes, but wonders why she didn't die. She hears footsteps and sees a man wearing a suit with a mask, Shinra, and he walks over to her, kneels down, and asks.

"Why did you do that?"

Saori is frustrated when she says.

"You should have let me die. I can't…(cries again) I can't deal with it anymore."

Saori can't stand what's happening right now with her life. Shinra then puts his hands around her face and can sense her despair as he states.

"I know what that's like. If you want…I can make it go away for you."

Saori sniffles a bit, looks at the ground, and tells him.

"I don't care anymore. If you can help me…I won't fight it. I just want to make it go away."

Shinra gets Saori to look him in the eyes and his eyes glow with negative mana and her eyes begin glowing the same way and he lets go of her as her body emits the dark aura and smiles now as she produces two guns and states.

"If those three want to have fun….I'll show them what happens when you fuck with me."

Shinra snaps his fingers and the wicked smile disappears as Saori puts on a more timid look and asks.

"What was that? I heard a voice…my voice…did I…."

Shinra tells her.

"I created her for you. She's you, a you who can fight back. Someone who can use your power effectively."

Saori hears power, but doesn't care as she asks.

"Can she…stop them?"

Shinra nods and Saori stops caring as he snaps his fingers again and the smile reappears as Saori says in a happier tone.

"That's right, Saori. I can put an end to anyone who threatens us. I'll make sure that no one ever tries to use us again."

Shinra introduces himself formally, and asks if she'll join him, and she says yes. It is at this time that Saori learned of her powers. She began using them effectively, a committed many murders using these powers, something her inner self doesn't approve of, but since the aggressive side can handle the bad people, she doesn't fight it.

 **Present**

Kurumi sees the end of what she was viewing and says.

"So, she became that to handle the people who bullied her. I've killed for less, but damn. I can't imagine how helpless she felt. I didn't think it was that bad. (Smiles) But I suppose that taking care of her business is important and in such brutal ways."

Kurumi hears Shido groaning a little in his coma and comments.

"Don't worry, I won't share the gruesome details.

She smiles as she rubs Shido's head but she is still concerned about Saori's ultimate goal in this as well as the identity of Shinra because not even Saori knew by the point the information cut out.


	52. Chapter 52

Ch.51 Aki Returns

The crew aboard the Bifrost is departing the timeline of destruction. Kusakabe isn't saying last words to her comrades because she has no intention of returning here. Kenji learned of his sister's fate and is visible mad about it.

On the deck, Kenji is pounding his fist on a terminal in anger over what happened to Sora as shouts.

"What did she do to deserve this!? We just wanted to go eat noodles with our mom! Demand, what did she do, why did this happen!?"

Kenji's outburst catches the attention of the others when Ellen attempts to comfort him by saying.

"Kenji, at least she's safe."

Kenji turns his gaze to Ellen and reprimands her and states.

"Statement, this is all your fault. You and your crew came to OUR time and screwed it up. If only…"

Before he can speak further, Kenji is slapped by someone. He and Ellen look to see Ryouko with a stern expression and she says in a firm voice.

"That's enough of that."

She lights a smoke with a gold lighter that she produces and reminds the son of Yuzuru.

"You can sit here and bitch about it, or you can calm down and think for a minute. I don't get the full details, but I just had to bury my closest friends, see my best student die before my eyes, and on top of that, I'm in a battle that I'm scared of now."

Kenji touches the part of his face that was slapped and looks at Ryouko with apologetic eyes and apologizes to Ellen for his outburst.

"Apology, I didn't know about that. I'm…sorry, Ellen."

Ellen reminds Kenji of the sacrifices they're willing to make to help Shido and his friends. Tohka is afraid for Shido and Aki despite the latter not even existing in his time. Origami looks to the side and adds her own two cents to it.

"I'm working with people I'd rather have nothing to do with. I'm only doing it for someone special to me."

Origami stands up and walks away under the premise that she's leaving for something to eat. Kotori and Mana are at the helm with Akane being in the training area. Akane is still mad about what happened with her guardian and is training without it get stronger. Tohka and Kotori were worried about their powers coming back, but Ellen assures them that their power should undetectable while aboard the ship since DEM intended for this ship to cloak Spirits as to detain them without suspicion.

Ryouko walks over to the controls and mentions.

"I had some training with airship piloting these last few years. I can take the controls if you need me to."

Mana and Kotori are thankful to her for the help and they invite her to help out. While at the controls, Kotori asks Ryouko.

"Hey, what happened to the Ratatoskr crew of your time? I'm sure you must know."

Ryouko takes a puff of her cigarette and answers in the most monotone way possible.

"Kannazuki was our main concern because of his skills with a Realizer. He actually designed mine, but we lost him during our third attempt to fight Nemesis. The others, I assume, perished in the initial struggle."

Kotori and Mana have uneasy looks on their faces upon learning this. Hiro enters the deck with his own thoughts. He is wondering about his other self they met and sits next to Mana with concern for her and asks.

"Hey, Mana….do you think I could have turned out like that?"

Mana is jarred by the sudden question and asks.

"What's with that? I mean, you're you, and he was different."

Hiro acknowledges this but explains.

"When I learned of Spirit Children like Aki and Akane, I was jealous of them, and I still am. I love the Spirits so much and I hated the fact that we attacked them without mercy for that. But seeing what could have happened if I had the powers I crave, it makes me wonder."

Kotori thinks for a second to help Mana, but Ryouko gives an answer to Hiro.

"No, Hiro…I don't think it was his power that made him going mad. He fought in a war where his friends died, and he killed his mother with his own hands. It isn't easy to deal with something like that. When that happened, the moment he knew this, something in him broke. It broke so much and so badly that he simply fell into despair."

Hiro pulls out his half-empty bottle of medication and says.

"Well I'm not exactly completely sane myself."

Ryouko finishes her smoke and tells Hiro the obvious.

"Hiro, you're not the same as him. The Hiro I knew died in that war, the one you are now. I think the better question is, could he have become you? I think if he didn't kill his mom, he would have fought with us until his last breath. You did, and you made your world a better place for it. I'm actually jealous of the me from your time. I bet she's very proud of you just like your mom."

Hiro thanks his alternate coach for her words because they do help. Mana and Kotori sigh with relief over this because it has calmed things down. With all that said, they move on to the next timeline. While this happens, the rest of the crew goes to sleep.

 **Kurumi Timeline**

Kurumi is keeping an eye on Shido as per usual. It has been three days since she learned what happened to Saori and she is noticing a decline in mood for the household because the adult Shido is still missing his daughter, but the city is still searching for the Shooter because of the amount of people who were killed by her. The adult Kurumi is doing a fine job taking care of Shido in the meantime because of her time she spent as a mother but has to juggle this with her family.

It around these times when she notices something about this future, herself, who is married with Shido, has six kids with a seventh one on the way, and is a stay at home mother, is actually very happy with her life. Despite the problems currently, her older self is a great baker, hums while she cooks, and is always smiling a warmer smile. Currently, she is humming while mixing things together for a cake. Kurumi notices her older self humming a song that sounds happy. Curious, she asks her older self.

"Do you enjoy making stuff like that?"

 **Kurumi** stops her humming, reaches into the fridge, and pulls out a little butter and answers while mixing it.

"Not really. I just enjoy making them smile. Shido works so hard for us, and the least I could do is the housework and picking up the children."

Kurumi is just having mixed thoughts about everything because the woman before her, was her to the letter at one point, but she seems genuinely happy and comfortable with her quiet life with a family. **Kurumi** then remembers something when she asks her younger self for a favor, and the young lady has no objections considering the circumstances. Her older self has a pot on the stove filled with soup that she puts into a bowl on a tray with a glass of juice with a straw in it. She nicely asks her younger self.

"Emi is sick again, and I'm busy here, so could you please bring her this soup?"

Emi was sick when they left this timeline previously, which was a while ago to this world. **Kurumi** is worried because Emi has been getting sick frequently and she's missing a lot of school because of it. Taking the tray with a nod, Kurumi is instructed to wear Emi's room is since she hasn't gone into any of the other rooms. Kurumi goes into the room and takes a quick look, definitely the room of a young girl, and sees Emi watching a move with her head turned and has an ice pack on her head. She is a little delirious and thinks that Kurumi is her actual mother, though their resemblance helps this. Emi simply calls her mommy, to which Kurumi trembles a little. She places the tray in front of Emi, but realizes that she is too weak to feed herself because she can barely move at all. Understanding this, Kurumi proceeds to feed with a spoon and even blows on it because it is hot.

Somewhere outside the city, a dark vortex appears in an alley and someone steps out of it.

After some minutes of helping Emi, Kurumi takes the empty bowl and glass away. But as Kurumi walks away to leave Emi alone to sleep, the little girl simply says.

"I love you, mommy."

Kurumi smiles at hearing this and just walks away from the room with the dirty dishes. She returns to the kitchen where her adult self is cleaning dishes from making her cake. She asks rather casually.

"Did Emi enjoy her soup?"

Kurumi replies with a simply yes, and her older self adds.

"She is such a good girl, just like her big sister."

Kurumi imagines what life must be like to have children like that and considers it. While in her thoughts, a knock comes at the door, and **Kurumi** asks her younger self.

"Could you please get that?"

Kurumi walks to the door and sees Aki on the other side and he is wearing his normal clothes. Kurumi is relieved to see him and she asks.

"Did the others send you to find us?"

Aki shakes his head and mentions.

"I got separated from the others…"

Aki is invited in, shown where Shido is, and then he explains what he remembers in the bedroom to Kurumi.

"I just remember hearing my mom's voice and then everything gets fuzzy after that, so I don't remember anything after you both vanished."

Kurumi asks how he found her after this and simply explains.

"Well I figured I'd ask about the Itsuka family. I told them I was a friend of the family, so I got some tips that led me here."

While not the best news, Kurumi is a little more relieved that she has another ally with her to help with Shido. He looks at Shido's comatose body and asks.

"How's he doing?"

Kurumi explains.

"We've been here for a while, but he barely responds to anything."

Aki doesn't appear happy to learn this, but he does smile and replies.

"But I'm glad that you're both okay at the moment all things considered."

Aki then leaves the room and Kurumi's smile is replaced by a stoic expression and she thinks.

" _Too bad you didn't explain how you got here."_

Kurumi is skeptical about Aki given the circumstances. He appears fine and his clothes are a bit dirty, but there is still something not right. He appears fine at dinner since he is welcome to stay according to the adults in the house. **Shido and Kurumi** have no real problems seeing that the former got a raise at work so he can afford to buy more food. The table is lively and the conversation good. The cake Kurumi baked is great and the icing amazing. After eating, Asami and Reiji leave the house to hang out with friends with encouragement to stay safe from their parents. Aki stands up as well and mentions.

"I'm going out too. I need to clear my head and see I can remember anything else."

Aki leaves and everyone else simply smiles. Miki has to do homework as usual, Emi is still in bed, and the infant Koji is being taken to bed by his mother. **Shido** gets ready for a bath after a long day at work, and Kurumi leaves without anyone noticing. Shido will be watched by the adults while this is going on so there isn't any worry for him.

A little later, Asami along with a couple of her friends are meeting up at a local hangout spot under a bridge. It is just her and three girls around her age hanging out and drinking pop. Despite her appearances with these girls, Asami and her friends are law abiding and don't do anything illegal. They talk about typical teenager stuff, parental stupidity, annoying school stuff, and some things about boys. The four girls are laughing about their recent comments. Then a group of older boys, college student age, approaches them with ill intent since they're holding beers in their hands and look drunk. They are a little rough, and the girls say no, but then one gets a little violent and grabs Asami by the arm and she pulls it away telling them.

"What part of no don't you get!?"

The drunk men then gather around Asami with focus directed on her for her feisty attitude. Her friends then immediately call for the police, but a familiar voice tells them.

"The lady said no, so back off."

The drunkards are then thrown across the ground by Aki, who appears from the shadows of night. He manages to get them away and they true to beat him up, but Aki is simply too strong for them. The drunks run away. After this, Aki encourages the girls to go home since the bars will be letting out all the worse drunks soon, so the girls heed his warning. Asami, grateful, follows him home and thanks him.

"Akihiko, thanks for backing me up there. I gotta feeling those guys were going to be ruff on us if you hadn't stepped in."

The two walk through an alley on the way and Asami mentions.

"I haven't been that startled since…"

Aki turns around with a smile and interrupts her by asking.

"Since Asami threatened you, is that what you're saying."

Asami gets a little nervous, but then Aki's eyes turn dark and empty like his inverse form. He then punches Asami in the stomach and knocks her out. He then puts her over his shoulder and begins running somewhere unknown. Kurumi sees this in her Spirit form while watching from the shadows. She smiles and says.

"I knew he wasn't telling me everything."

Kurumi follows Aki a little to get an idea of what's going on with him because she knows that he isn't himself. He runs towards the edge of the city and this is when Kurumi makes her appearance known to Aki. The crater-like city entrance is where they are. Aki places Asami down and waves above, like he's expecting something or someone. Kurumi fires a shot at him as a warning, something that he immediately notices. His voice now sounds different again, but unlike the mix of male and female voice, it just sounds deeper and mechanical. He then is covered with darkness and his outfit changes into his inverse form. Kurumi is surprised by this change and casually says.

"Wow, you really have changed."

Aki approaches Kurumi with a glare in his eyes and he appears annoyed, but he does utter.

"Hello, Kurumi."

Kurumi readies her guns and is mostly aiming to test his new powers so she can see what she's dealing with. However, Aki stops in place and smirks as he is ready to reveal his weapon. He then does something unexpected and punches into the sky and seemingly through the fabric of space and time as he begins forcing something out of it. He then reveals what he is pulling on, he is pulling on the sword that Tohka used during her inversion, Nehemah. He is pulling the sword along with its throne and the sky turns darker upon the sword being pulled out. He does have to force the sword out, but this causes part of it to break off during the pull and Aki is wields a smaller version of the sword, but it isn't any less dangerous and still good size. Kurumi needs to find out what's going on now more than ever and she has to actually rescue Asami from someone is supposed to be her comrade.


End file.
